Jakarta says it has to determine if the eight people were recruited through job offers but then duped into joining Russia’s military
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenSCMP’s Asia deskPublished: 4:17pm, 2 Sep 2026Indonesia on Wednesday said the government was ascertaining reports that eight of its citizens who applied for civilian jobs allegedly ended up fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine.Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said authorities were checking the identities and hiring processes involved, which offered attractive perks such as high pay, non-combat duties and fast-tracking Russian citizenship.
“We are taking the information from Ukraine seriously. But we cannot draw conclusions before all the facts have been verified,” Yusril said on Wednesday.
According to state news agency Antara, he said the government must determine whether they had actually been fighting alongside Russian forces.
Yusril’s response came after Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service last week said it had accessed documents allegedly linking the eight Indonesians to Russia’s military.
The agency added that recruiters lured foreigners with job offers and later sent them to the battlefield.
