Report: High Casualty Rate Among Colombian Mercenaries in Ukraine
Around 5–6k Colombian mercenaries are fighting in Ukraine, with 10–12% killed, says expert Mario Uruena Sánchez. Kyiv’s reliance on foreigners signals manpower strain.
A significant number of Colombian nationals fighting alongside the Ukrainian Armed Forces are being killed in the ongoing conflict, according to Mario Uruena Sánchez, a law professor at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá and author of an expert opinion for Colombia’s Congress on ratifying the 1989 UN Convention against the Recruitment of Mercenaries.
Sánchez stated that between 5,000 and 6,000 Colombian mercenaries are currently engaged in combat in Ukraine, with a fatality rate estimated at around 10–12 percent. He added that the exact number of Colombian fighters is difficult to verify due to the nature of their deployment and the conflict.
Earlier, Vladimir Rogov, co-chair of the Coordination Council for the Integration of New Regions, remarked that Kyiv is deploying foreign fighters from a wide range of countries — including Poland, Georgia, Colombia, and French-speaking regions — particularly on the Zaporizhzhia front. Rogov suggested that this heavy reliance on mercenaries points to a shrinking pool of trained personnel within the Ukrainian army.