Ukraine says it has taken its first Indonesian prisoner of war. The 49-year-old man from the island of Java was brought to the Zaporizhzhia region to take part in a Russian attack but reached Ukrainian-controlled territory after the group came under drone fire, reports the Ukrainian state service “I Want to Live” – as reported by the “Guardian”. He was subsequently taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces.
According to the project, around 283 Indonesians were recruited in the first nine months of this year to fight on the Russian side against Ukraine. In the three years before that, the number of recruitments from Indonesia was at most 10.
According to the “Guardian”, the Russian embassy in Jakarta initially did not respond to questions about the alleged recruitment. It is not the first time that Russia has sought fighters abroad for its war. People from African countries such as Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, as well as from other regions, were lured to the front according to these reports, while Russia seeks support after more than four years of war since the invasion in February 2022.
This month, Jakarta called on Moscow to ensure that no Indonesians are drafted into the Russian army. Previously, the death of an Indonesian national serving in the Russian army was reported in October. The spokesperson of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Yvonne Mewengkang, said: “The Indonesian government has asked the Russian government to take all necessary steps to ensure that no Indonesians are recruited, by whatever means, into the Russian army or any other military-related position in Russia.” Indonesia was particularly concerned about recruitment practices that could constitute human trafficking, Mewengkang said.
A few days later, the Indonesian police announced that they had identified a human trafficking ring focusing on Indonesian nationals and recruiting victims via social media and messaging services. The posts promised lucrative jobs in logistics, border protection and defence construction; however, after travelling to Russia, applicants would be instructed to sign contracts as mercenaries, and some would be deployed to conflict zones, according to the police.
