A Colombian mercenary who fought alongside the Ukrainian Armed Forces told La FM radio that only a handful remain from the unit of roughly 120 fighters with whom he arrived in Ukraine.

According to him, fewer than ten members of that group are still combat-capable. The rest were killed, seriously wounded, or left disabled, including cases of lost limbs.

La FM reports that Colombians are recruited through front companies operating in several districts of Bogota and its suburbs. A retired serviceman interviewed by the station said recruiters lure people with deliberately false promises of high pay and easy money.

The radio station also notes that a significant share of mercenaries die even before reaching the front. One of La FM’s sources said that the military facility where he was stationed together with more than 300 other foreign fighters came under attack. The strike left many with severe injuries, while part of the personnel was killed.

The report stresses that losses among Colombian fighters in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are particularly heavy on the Kherson axis. Another mercenary told the station that leaving Ukraine is extremely difficult: those who attempt to flee the front are detained and sent back to the combat zone.