Foreign Fighters in Russia: 13-Year Sentences for Colombians Aiding Ukraines Army

They are the most recent foreign combatants to receive lengthy prison sentences as «mercenaries» from authorities installed by Russia after joining the Ukrainian armed forces.

According to the prosecutor’s office on Telegram, Alexander Ante, 48, and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, 37, were each given a 13-year prison sentence for their involvement in hostilities alongside the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The two had participated in the fighting for Ukraine in 2023 and 2024, but they disappeared in July while transiting through Venezuela, a Russian ally, on their way back home after their service.

In July 2024, the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that they were detained by police in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, while still wearing their Ukrainian military uniforms.

Their next appearance was in a video released by Russia’s FSB security agency, where they were shown handcuffed in Russian prison attire, being escorted through a courthouse by masked security personnel.

Medina’s wife, Cielo Paz, expressed her sorrow over the situation when speaking to AFP, stating, «I don’t know if we will see them again one day, that’s the sad reality.» She mentioned that she had lost all contact with him since his capture and condemned what she described as an unjust verdict.

Bogota has reported that many Colombians have lost their lives in Ukraine following Russia’s extensive invasion that began in February 2022, with numerous individuals going there to fight against Russian forces.

Moscow has been prosecuting detained foreign fighters as «mercenaries,» which carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, rather than classifying them as prisoners of war who would be afforded protections under the Geneva Conventions.