The illegitimate president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, has extradited two Colombian citizens who participated in Russia's war against Ukraine to Russia. Their families have been searching for them for more than six months.
Points of attention
- Venezuela extradited to Russia two Colombians who participated in Russia's war against Ukraine.
- The fighters disappeared after arriving in Venezuela.
- Alexander and Jose Aron are being held in Moscow and are accused of being mercenaries, facing 12 to 18 years in prison.
- Families are trying to contact the men and provide them with legal protection, but are encountering obstacles in resolving the situation.
Venezuela extradites to Russia those who fought for Ukraine
On July 18, 2024, Colombian Otilia Ante's son, Oleksandr, did not return home from Kyiv after nine months of participation in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Doña Otilia never imagined that danger would arise after Alexander laid down his arms, or that her son would find himself at the center of an international scandal, albeit one that received little attention. And that he would appear on a video from a Russian detention center with a compatriot.
Drawing on his experience fighting guerrillas in the Colombian army, Oleksandr Ante flew to Ukraine and joined the service in 2023. He earned between $2,400 and $3,200 a month.
Like many fighters from abroad, he joined the 49th Infantry Battalion "Carpathian Sich".
Alexander called his mother every evening and paid for her medicine.
Already in the summer of 2024, the son was returning home. After crossing the Ukrainian border with Poland by land and flying to Madrid, he had three more flights — Caracas, Bogota, and Cali — before finally reaching Colombia.
But Alexander disappeared, as did Cielo Paz's husband, José Aron Medina.
He planned to return to Popayan for the weekend to celebrate his 37th birthday. But José Aron never arrived.
Families began searching for their loved ones, filing complaints with the local council, the prosecutor's office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
And on August 30 last year, 43 days after the disappearance of Alexander and Jose, they were shown on the Russia Today TV channel in a staged "interview", in which it was revealed that the two former Colombian soldiers were being held in Moscow.
Since then, neither family has been able to contact the men or speak to a court-appointed lawyer in Russia.
Why were these two Colombians detained? What happened during the month and a half of their disappearance? How did they get from the Caracas airport to a Moscow prison? And what might their kidnapping mean on the world stage?
Venezuela and Russia maintain diplomatic silence. RT claims that Russian intelligence detained the men, without specifying where.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Colombia's ambassador to Russia, Hector Arenas Neira, admits that he does not know how they arrived in Moscow and avoids commenting on the violation of international law and Colombia's sovereignty.
The only certainty is that Oleksandr and Jose Aron landed in Venezuela on a Plus Ultra airline flight, which operates only with Latin America, after terminating contracts with the Ukrainian army.
Neither their arrest nor their extrajudicial transfer was ever officially announced, but it came just days after the rigged elections in Venezuela.
Currently, Alexander and Jose Aron face 12 to 18 years in prison in Russia for "mercenary."
One could argue that they laid down their weapons and simply went home… in which case international humanitarian law gives them special protection.
They are being defended by a public defender who does not speak Spanish — a lawyer chosen by the same Russian state that kidnapped them thousands of miles from its jurisdiction on charges that are difficult to justify.
According to the Geneva Convention, international military volunteers in Ukraine should not be considered mercenaries, as they sign official contracts with the Kyiv army and share both duties and salaries with other regular soldiers.
In December, Mr. Uzcategui's team filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court about enforced disappearances, which includes other Colombians who disappeared after crossing the border with Venezuela.
However, the indifference of Colombian officials remains the biggest obstacle to mounting the political pressure needed for their release.
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