A group of Indonesians was duped into fighting for Russia, Ukraine says, with other ruses involving Filipinos and Indians
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenSam BeltranPublished: 10:00am, 14 Sep 2026A report that eight Indonesians were allegedly tricked into fighting for Moscow in its war on Ukraine may be just the tip of the iceberg, analysts warn, cautioning that Southeast Asia’s existing scam networks could already be a hunting ground for Russian fraudsters.Ukraine’s intelligence agency revealed on August 27 that the Indonesians had been lured with promises of well-paid civilian jobs. Jakarta has confirmed it is aware of the case.
In January, a Filipino identified only as a “John Patrick” was named by Ukraine’s intelligence services as among those killed in the occupied Donetsk region. Manila said at the time that it was seeking to confirm the Ukrainian statement.
