A man from Java, now held in Ukrainian custody, has become the first Indonesian prisoner of war that Ukraine says it has taken, a small but telling point in a war that has stretched past its fourth year. His capture, reported by a Ukrainian state project, is one thread in a larger pattern in which people from distant countries are drawn into the fighting by promises of work that turn into something far darker. Jakarta is now pressing Moscow to halt the recruitment of its citizens, while the details of the man's journey remain unconfirmed and largely unspoken.
Ukraine Captures First Indonesian Prisoner of War as Russian Recruitment From Southeast Asia Surges
A 49-year-old Indonesian man was taken to fight for Russia, was captured by Ukraine, and an Indonesian national serving with the Russian military reportedly died in October.
The first Indonesian prisoner of war, by Ukraine's account
Mark
Why does one prisoner from Java matter so much?
Mimi
Because Ukraine says he's the first Indonesian it has captured, and it ties him to a jump in recruitment: 283 Indonesians in nine months, against no more than 10 in the previous three years.
Luke
Worth noting both numbers come from the I Want to Live project, a Ukrainian state body. The article doesn't offer an independent count.
Mark
How did he end up captured?
Mimi
Ukraine says he was taken to Zaporizhzhia for a Russian assault, the group was hit by drones, and he reached Ukrainian-held ground.
Luke
Again, that's the project's account. We don't have his name, his own words, or how he was recruited.
Mark
What is Indonesia doing?
Mimi
The foreign ministry asked Moscow to make sure no Indonesians are recruited, after an Indonesian serving with Russian forces reportedly died in October. Police then identified a trafficking syndicate using social media and messaging apps.
Luke
Police say applicants were promised logistics, border security or construction jobs and then pushed into mercenary contracts. That's the police account of the syndicate, and the Russian embassy hasn't responded.
Mark
Is this a pattern?
Mimi
Kenya's intelligence service reported over 1,000 Kenyans lured in February, and Ugandans and South Africans are mentioned too.
Luke
Different countries, different sources. The pattern is plausible, but this piece doesn't prove the numbers match across them.
O Pulso
- A 49-year-old Javanese man, taken to fight for Russia, is now a prisoner after surrendering following a drone strike near Zaporizhzhia.
- Ukraine's I Want to Live project reports 283 Indonesians recruited in just nine months, a sudden surge from no more than ten a year before.
- Jakarta has demanded that Moscow stop drafting Indonesians, after an Indonesian serving with Russian forces reportedly died in October.
- Indonesian police have uncovered a social media trafficking ring luring applicants with logistics and construction jobs, then pushing them into mercenary contracts.
- The Russian embassy in Jakarta has not answered questions, leaving the recruitment claims unanswered as investigators close in on the syndicate.
A man from Java, now held in Ukrainian custody, has become the first Indonesian prisoner of war that Ukraine says it has taken, a small but telling point in a war that has stretched past its fourth year. His capture, reported by a Ukrainian state project, is one thread in a larger pattern in which people from distant countries are drawn into the fighting by promises of work that turn into something far darker. Jakarta is now pressing Moscow to halt the recruitment of its citizens, while the details of the man's journey remain unconfirmed and largely unspoken.
A 49-year-old man from Java is now in Ukrainian hands, and Ukraine says he is the first Indonesian prisoner of war it has taken since the invasion began. According to the state-run I Want to Live project, he was brought to the Zaporizhzhia region to join a Russian assault. When his group came under drone attack, he made his way into Ukrainian-held ground and was captured. His name has not been released, and the account has not been independently verified. It is not yet known how he came to Russia or what he was promised.
The project says recruitment has surged, with 283 Indonesians signed up to fight for Russia in the first nine months of this year, against no more than ten in each of the three years before. The Russian embassy in Jakarta has not yet responded to questions.
Indonesia has begun to act on its own. Its foreign ministry asked Moscow to ensure no Indonesians are drafted, following the reported death in October of an Indonesian serving with Russian forces, and voiced particular concern about possible human trafficking. Police then said they had identified a syndicate that used social media and messaging apps to lure victims with promises of well-paid logistics, border security and defence construction work, before directing them into mercenary contracts and, in some cases, into combat zones.
Indonesia is not alone. Kenyan intelligence reported in February that more than 1,000 Kenyans had been lured to fight for Russia, and people from Uganda, South Africa and elsewhere have also been drawn to the front as the war grinds on. The I Want to Live project, set up in 2022 with defence ministry and military intelligence support, offers Russian and foreign soldiers a way to surrender safely and leave the battlefield. What comes next depends on whether Moscow responds and how far Indonesian investigators can follow the syndicate.
A 49-year-old man from Java is now in Ukrainian custody, and Ukraine says he is the first Indonesian prisoner of war it has taken since Russia's invasion began. According to Ukraine's state-run I Want to Live project, he had been brought to the Zaporizhzhia region to take part in a Russian assault. When the group came under drone attack, he made his way into Ukrainian-held territory, where he was captured.
The account comes from the project, a Ukrainian government body, and the details have not been independently confirmed in the reporting. The man is not named. Nor does the account say how he came to be in Russia or what he had been promised.
What Ukraine presents as the wider picture is a sharp rise in recruitment. The project says 283 Indonesians were recruited to fight for Russia in the first nine months of this year. In the previous three years, it says, the figure was no more than 10. The Russian embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond to questions about the alleged recruitment.
Indonesia has been moving on its own. This month the foreign ministry asked Moscow to ensure that no Indonesians are drafted into its military. The request followed the reported death in October of an Indonesian national serving with Russian forces. Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said her government wanted Russia to take all necessary steps so that no Indonesians are recruited into the Russian military, or any military-related position, through any avenue. She said Jakarta was particularly worried about recruitment practices that could amount to human trafficking.
Days later, Indonesian police said they had identified a trafficking syndicate targeting Indonesians. It used social media and messaging apps to find victims, with posts promising well-paid work in logistics, border security and defence construction. Police said that once applicants reached Russia, they were directed to sign contracts to serve as mercenaries, and some were sent into conflict zones.
Indonesia is not the first country where this has been alleged. In February, Kenya's intelligence services reported that more than 1,000 Kenyans had been lured to fight for Russia. A growing number of people from African countries, including Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, and from elsewhere, have been drawn to the frontline as Russia tries to sustain a war that has now run more than four years since the February 2022 invasion.
The I Want to Live project was set up in September 2022 by Ukraine's coordination headquarters for prisoners of war, with support from the defence ministry and defence intelligence, known as HUR. It was designed to let active-duty troops, including Russian servicemen and foreign nationals recruited into the Russian military, surrender safely and leave the battlefield.
What to watch now is whether the Russian embassy responds, and what Indonesian police uncover as they pursue the syndicate they have identified.
Citações Notáveis
The Indonesian government asked Russia to take all necessary steps to ensure no Indonesians are recruited into its military or any military-related position.— Yvonne Mewengkang, Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson (paraphrased)
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Leia o original em The Guardian ↗