Eight Indonesians allegedly duped into becoming Russian soldiers
Indonesia needs to verify their identities, citizenship status, recruitment process and the nature of their involvement, its foreign ministry said. This comes after Ukraine released names of the eight Indonesians.
Russian soldiers line up during an opening ceremony of the memorial to Russian service members killed during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Yevpatoria, Crimea, on Feb 22, 2024. (Photo: Reuters/Alexey Pavlishak)
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JAKARTA: Eight Indonesians have been recruited under allegedly false pretenses to become Russian soldiers, according to Ukrainian intelligence that has been shared with the Indonesian government.
They were allegedly deceived with promises of high-paying jobs, but were later recruited into Russia’s army, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (FISU).
“Russia continues to systematically recruit foreigners to fight in the war against Ukraine … Indonesia has become the latest example of this pattern,” it stated on its website on Aug 27.
FISU “has obtained documents on at least eight Indonesian citizens who were recruited into the ranks of (Russia’s) occupying army,” it said.
FISU did not specify explicitly that the Indonesians were involved in the Ukraine war.
FISU published Russian visa and migration documents that it said belonged to the eight Indonesians.
Deputy Speaker of Indonesia’s House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad confirmed on Tuesday (Sep 1) the information had been shared with Indonesia.
“We received information from our intelligence authorities that the recruitment of soldiers was carried out by a third country, which made it appear as though these were job vacancies for security personnel or administrative staff, with the promise of high salaries,” Dasco said, as quoted on the House of Representatives’ website.
Indonesia’s intelligence authorities and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs have coordinated to address the issue, he said.
“Based on the information we received, the intelligence authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have now taken precautionary measures, coordinated and sent representatives to the countries concerned,” Dasco said.
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Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said the government was verifying the information through Indonesian missions abroad and coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies.
“Information regarding the identities, citizenship status, recruitment process and the nature of the involvement of the individuals mentioned still needs to be further verified,” Yvonne said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Yvonne stressed that Indonesia has clear legal provisions governing the involvement of its citizens in a foreign military, including consequences for their citizenship.
“If the involvement of Indonesian citizens in the foreign armed forces in question is verified, it would constitute an individual action and does not represent the policy or position of the Indonesian government,” she said.
The government, she said, would look into whether the Indonesians had been recruited through deception, exploitation or job offers that did not match their actual purpose.
“If any Indonesian citizens are found to have been victims in the process, the Indonesian government will take the necessary protection measures in accordance with applicable laws,” she said.
The eight individuals have been identified by FISU as:
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Yuda Putra Pratama, 29
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Haryanto Dwi Kencana, 43
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Erwanda, 38
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Ngangun Hudri Fadli, 47
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Muhammad Syaripudin, 32
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M Hadi Maulana, 39
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Wahyu Oktavian Iskandar, 40
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Helmi Nuraha Hakim, 43
According to FISU, the Kremlin promises high pay, non-combat jobs, expedited Russian citizenship and attractive social benefits to people from dozens of countries.
“They often do not even know where they will actually be sent. Most of them end up on the front lines without training, and some are killed within just the first few weeks,” FISU said in its statement.
The same pattern has been seen with citizens of Nepal, Cuba, Kenya and India, FISU said.
The Russian military has had an estimated 450,000 deaths among 1.4 million casualties since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in July.
While North Korea has sent thousands of troops to fight for Russia, many of the other countries’ citizens have reportedly been lured by deceptive offers of civilian jobs.
Exactly how many people were falsely recruited, and how many signed up as mercenaries, is unclear.
“Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country with a population of more than 280 million, has now joined the list of countries that have become new markets for the Kremlin to obtain cheap manpower for the war,” said FISU.
Besides filling personnel shortages on the front lines, FISU said the recruited foreigners are also used as propaganda material to portray global support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have seen an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 deaths among a total of 525,000 to 625,000 casualties, according to CSIS.
TWO INDONESIANS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN TO HAVE JOINED RUSSIA’S MILITARY
Besides the eight individuals, two other Indonesians were previously reported to have joined the Russian military.
One of them, Satria Arta Kumbara, is a former Indonesian Navy Marine who was dismissed after deserting in 2022. His presence in Russia came to public attention in May 2025 after photos and videos of him wearing Russia’s military uniform circulated on TikTok. This was later confirmed by the Indonesian Navy.
Satria said he had gone to Russia to earn a living. In July 2025, he appeared in another video asking President Prabowo Subianto and the government for help to return to Indonesia.
A month later, another video emerged showing Satria injured and being evacuated. He had reportedly been hit by drone and mortar attacks in Ukraine. There have been no further posts from him on TikTok.
The second case emerged in early 2026 and involved Muhammad Rio, a former member of the Aceh Police Mobile Brigade.
According to the Aceh Police, Rio had been absent from duty without permission since Dec 8, 2025. On Jan 7 this year, he sent photos and videos to Aceh Police Mobile Brigade personnel of him with Russian forces and claimed he had joined the Wagner mercenary group.
Rio claimed he received an initial bonus of 2 million rubles (US$25,000) and a monthly salary of 210,000 rubles (US$2,600). The Aceh Police confirmed at the time the communication and information regarding the payments.
Source: CNA/cc
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