JAKARTA: The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) has launched a formal investigation into the alleged trafficking of Indonesian citizens recruited to join the Russian military, as reports of Indonesians being lured into fighting in the war in Ukraine continue to emerge.
Bareskrim director of criminal acts against women and children Brig. Gen. Nurul Azizah said earlier this week that the police had received five separate reports since late September, involving a total of 58 alleged victims.
Initial investigations have uncovered a recruitment pattern in which Indonesians were allegedly lured by social media advertisements promising lucrative salaries and bonuses to serve as foreign mercenaries.
They were then sent to Russia on tourist visas for a month-long training programme before being deployed to the battlefield. Police have arrested 13 suspects across the five cases, including two Russian nationals and one Ukrainian national, for further investigation.
One other suspect remains at large, Nurul said.
“We are still continuing to develop it to uncover a wider recruitment network, both at home and abroad,” Nurul told reporters in Jakarta on Monday.
“We want to emphasise that there is no tolerance for exploitation or human trafficking, whoever the perpetrator is and whatever their background,” she continued.
Reports of Indonesians being recruited to fight for Russia have mounted in recent months, echoing similar accounts from Kenya, Nepal, India and Cuba, whose nationals have also reportedly been enlisted through third-party agencies as Russia’s war in Ukraine approaches its fifth year.
Ukraine’s intelligence services have been among the main sources of information on the alleged recruitment.
In late August, they identified eight Indonesians among foreign nationals allegedly recruited to fight for Russian forces. Since the allegations first surfaced, the Foreign Ministry has been working to verify information provided by Ukrainian intelligence.
The efforts have taken on greater urgency following further reports, including the deaths of two Indonesians, identified as Taufiq Muhammad, 48, and Rendi Apriyanto, 30, while fighting for Russian forces.
At Monday’s briefing, police said several victims had testified that they were promised employment contracts worth around Rp 400 million (US$22,000).
Recruitment offers were reportedly circulated on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other online platforms.
Another Bareskrim top official Comr. Yolanda Evalyn Sembayang said investigators were pursuing charges under Article 4 of the 2007 Law on Human Trafficking and the 2017 Law on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, which carry maximum prison sentences of 15 years and 10 years, respectively.
“The recruitment was carried out without going through an official Indonesian Migrant Worker (PMI) placement company, with candidates not registered with the labor agency,” Yolanda said.
Bareskrim said it was maintaining close coordination with the National Police’s International Relations Division and the Foreign Ministry as the investigation continued.
In a statement in mid-October, Deputy Indonesian Ambassador in Russia Hartyo Harkomoyo said the number of Indonesians recruited by third parties for deployment with the Russian army had continued to rise.
He said many had initially been unaware they would be sent to fight, having been lured by offers of civilian jobs such as driving, security work, construction and medical assistance. International relations expert Radityo Dharmaputra from Airlangga University (Unair), who has previously researched the trend, urged a “unified stance for prevention” from the government, even if it involves a temporary suspension for Russian jobs.
“Many of our citizens are unaware of the [human trafficking] scheme and situation. It’s quite heartbreaking,” he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
