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Ukrainian soldiers inspect the area near a destroyed apartment building in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on the 24th (local time). / Courtesy of Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

A multitude of Peruvians who left after receiving high-wage job offers as cooks and security guards from Russia turned out to have been forced into the Russian military and deployed to the Ukraine front lines, CNN reported on the 28th (local time).

Norma (pseudonym), a female Peruvian national, sent her 31-year-old son to Russia in late January. Her son said he got a job as a cook for the Russian military, stating that it was far from the war, paid well, and would even grant him Russian citizenship.

Afterward, the son staying there sent a video containing his image wearing combat gear and digging trenches, and contact has been cut off since last April.

Guillermo (28), a Peruvian former soldier, also went to Russia thinking he was employed as a security guard, only to be forced to sign a military service contract. Having suffered injuries in an occupied territory of Ukraine, he appealed, "I want to return to my hometown."

A Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "People in economically desperate situations are easily deceived because they do not know international realities well."

Percy Salinas, a lawyer representing families who suffered damages from such cases, criticized it as human trafficking, stating that Peruvians were dragged to the battlefield being deceived by false employment offers. Salinas estimated that at least 800 Peruvians are serving after being forced into Russian military conscription so far.

In an interview with CNN, he explained, "Many families decided to go to Russia because of economic reasons," adding, "A signing bonus of 20,000 dollars and a high salary of 3,000 to 4,000 dollars a month were promised at the time of contract, but in reality, most did not receive the money."

Peruvian prosecutors are investigating 36 cases of human trafficking damages similar to this. Russia is reportedly recruiting manpower from developing countries in Africa, South Asia, and South America.

The Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently formally requested Russia to disclose information regarding at least 247 cases of its nationals. To this, the Russian Embassy in Peru is only putting forward a principled stance, stating, "We respect the voluntary participation of foreigners," and is not providing concrete information.

                                                                                                            Park Jin-sook