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View all search resultsGovt investigates reports of citizens fighting for Russia in Ukraine
At least eight Indonesians are alleged to having fought for Russia in the war in Ukraine, seven of whom came to Russia using tourist visas, according to reports issued by the Ukrainian authorities.
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Servicemen of the 67th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine load a shell into an artillerty toward Russian troops on Aug. 30 amid Russia's attack on Ukraine at a position near the frontline town of Kramatorsk in Donetsk, Ukraine. (Reuters/Oleksandr Ratushniak)
T
he Foreign Ministry is investigating and verifying Ukraine’s report of several Indonesian citizens who allegedly joined Russian military forces and were deployed in the war in Ukraine, while opening the possibility of taking legal action if the allegations are confirmed.
The information about Indonesians recruited by Russian forces came from Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, which published on Aug. 27 a list of eight people, aged between 29 and 48, who had been allegedly recruited by Moscow between late 2025 and the middle of this year.
Seven Indonesians allegedly entered Russia using standard tourist visas, while the other one came in using a migration card in September 2025, claimed to be the earliest documented case in the set.
The information was posted on stoprussianrecruiters.org, a website of the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and the country’s Foreign Ministry to document recruitment by the Russian Defense Ministry after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said the Indonesian missions in Ukraine and Russia as well as relevant ministries and agencies were probing the backgrounds of individuals named in Ukraine’s report.
While the investigations are still ongoing, the ministry underlined legal provisions restricting Indonesian citizens from involvement in the military service of other countries, with potential consequences for their citizenship status, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang.
