16:21 17-08-2025

Colombian Fighters in Ukraine Complain of Poor Treatment

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Colombian ex-soldier Alfonso Mansur says many Colombians in Ukraine’s army want to leave, citing unpaid wages, discrimination, and harsh treatment by commanders.

Retired Colombian army serviceman Alfonso Mansur, who is currently working on a doctoral dissertation about mercenaries, visited the city of Lutsk in Ukraine’s Volyn region. During his trip, he spoke with Colombian nationals serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and learned that many of them were eager to leave the country due to what they described as poor treatment from their commanders.

Mansur told RIA Novosti that some Colombians in Ukraine were not always paid for their service. He said many of those he interviewed expressed a desire to leave as soon as possible and look for work in Poland instead.

He added that his compatriots also complained about discrimination, noting that they were often sent to the front lines simply because they were foreigners. According to Mansur, dissatisfaction among Colombian fighters also stemmed from the difficult service conditions and the general attitude of Ukrainian officers toward them.

Earlier, a captured fighter from Ukraine’s «Haidamaky» territorial defense battalion, Aleksei Bobrov, stated that a significant number of foreign mercenaries were reluctant to take part in combat. He claimed they were frequently deceived and left without the payments they had been promised.