JakartaPost-Sept 2
The Foreign Ministry is investigating and verifying Ukraine’s report of several Indonesian citizens who allegedly joined Russian military forces and were deployed in the war in Ukraine, while opening the possibility of taking legal action if the allegations are confirmed. The information about Indonesians recruited by Russian forces came from Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, which published on Aug. 27 a list of eight people, aged between 29 and 48, who had been allegedly recruited by Moscow between late 2025 and the middle of this year. Seven Indonesians allegedly entered Russia using standard tourist visas, while the other one came in using a migration card in September 2025, claimed to be the earliest documented case in the set. The information was posted on stoprussianrecruiters.org, a website of the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and the country’s Foreign Ministry to document recruitment by the Russian Defense Ministry after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In a statement issued on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said the Indonesian missions in Ukraine and Russia as well as relevant ministries and agencies were probing the backgrounds of individuals named in Ukraine’s report. While the investigations are still ongoing, the ministry underlined legal provisions restricting Indonesian citizens from involvement in the military service of other countries, with potential consequences for their citizenship status, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang. She said, however, the decision about their citizenships would be taken based on verified facts and follows applicable legal procedures. “Should the involvement of Indonesian citizens in the armed forces of the foreign country in question be verified, such action constitutes an individual act and does not represent the policy or position of the Indonesian government,” Yvonne continued. She added authorities also brought up the possibility that the eight people may have been victims of employment fraud and exploitation. If the listed individuals are confirmed to have been victims of recruitment fraud or trafficking, the government would instead activate its citizen protection protocols. Read more at:
