Ukraine needs more troops fighting Russia. Hardened professionals from Colombia are helping

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Ukraine needs more troops fighting Russia. Hardened professionals from Colombia are helping​

Story by By ILLIA NOVIKOV and MANUEL RUEDA, Associated Press • 3h

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while fighting Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while fighting Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Melodic Colombian Spanish fills a hospital treating soldiers wounded fighting Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's ranks are depleted by two years of war. As it battles the Russian war machine, Ukraine is welcoming hardened fighters from one of the world's longest-running conflicts.

Professional soldiers from Colombia bolster the ranks of volunteers from around the world who have answered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for foreign fighters to join his nation's war with Russia.

Colombian veterans who joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia pose for a photo near their Humvee on the front line near Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks. The Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Colombian veterans who joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia pose for a photo near their Humvee on the front line near Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks. The Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)© Provided by The Associated Press

A 32-year-old from the city of Medellín was trying to save a colleague wounded in three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. Russian drones attacked the group and shrapnel from a grenade dropped by one pierced his jawbone.

“I thought I was going to die,” said the man, who goes by the call sign Checho. The fighters insisted on being identified by their military call signs because they feared for their safety and that of their families.

A wounded professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign of Checho, 32, smiles as he holds gifts from Ukrainian children in a hospital in Ukraine Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Checho joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks. The Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A wounded professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign of Checho, 32, smiles as he holds gifts from Ukrainian children in a hospital in Ukraine Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Checho joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks. The Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)© Provided by The Associated Press

“We got up and decided to run away from the position to save our lives,” Checho said. "There was nowhere to hide.”

Colombia's military has been fighting drug-trafficking cartels and rebel groups for decades, making its soldiers some of the world's most experienced.

With a military of 250,000, Colombia has Latin America’s second-largest army, after Brazil’s. More than 10,000 retire each year. And hundreds are heading to fight in Ukraine, where many make four times as much as experienced non-commissioned officers earn in Colombia, or even more.

“Colombia has a large army with highly trained personnel but the pay isn't great when you compare it to other militaries,” said Andrés Macías of Bogotá's Externado University, who studies Colombian work for military contractors around the world.

Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters

Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters© Provided by The Associated Press

Retired Colombian soldiers began to head overseas in the early 2000s to work for U.S. military contractors protecting infrastructure including oil wells in Iraq. Retired members of Colombia's military have also been hired as trainers in the United Arab Emirates and joined in Yemen's battle against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters

Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters© Provided by The Associated Press

Colombia’s role as a recruiting ground for the global security industry also has its murkier, mercenary corners: Two Colombians were killed and 18 were arrested after they were accused of taking part in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

At the military hospital normally treating wounded Ukrainian soldiers, a group of about 50 Colombian fighters spend most of their time staring at their phone screens — calling home, browsing the internet and listening to music in between meals and medical procedures, most for light injuries.

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Wounded Colombian veterans, who joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia, look at their phones in a hospital in Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks, and the Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Wounded Colombian veterans, who joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia, look at their phones in a hospital in Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks, and the Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)© Provided by The Associated Press

In a battlefield stalemate with Russia, Ukraine is expanding its system allowing people from around the world to join the Ukrainian army, said Oleksandr Shahuri, an officer of the Department of Coordination of Foreigners in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A wounded Colombian professional soldier, who joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia, gives the thumbs up in a hospital in Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks, and the Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A wounded Colombian professional soldier, who joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia, gives the thumbs up in a hospital in Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks, and the Colombian professional soldiers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)© Provided by The Associated Press

In early 2022, authorities said 20,000 people from 52 countries were in Ukraine. Now, in keeping with the secrecy surrounding any military numbers, authorities will not say how many are on the battlefield but they do say fighters' profile has changed.

The first waves of volunteers came mostly from post-Soviet or English-speaking countries. Speaking Russian or English made it easier for them to integrate into Ukraine’s military, Shahuri said.

Last year the military developed an infrastructure of Spanish-speaking recruiters, instructors and junior operational officers, he added.

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while fighting Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while fighting Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press
 
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Hector Bernal, a retired ex-combat medic who runs a center for tactical medicine outside Bogotá, says that in the last eight months he’s trained more than 20 Colombians who went on to fight in Ukraine.

"They’re like the Latin American migrants who go to the U.S. in search of a better future" Bernal said. “These are not volunteers who want to defend another country's flag. They are simply motivated by economic need.”

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while flighting Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while flighting Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

While generals in Colombia get around $6,000 a month in salaries and bonuses, the same as a government minister, the rank and file gets by on a much more modest income.

Corporals in Colombia get a basic salary of around $400 a month, while experienced drill sergeants can earn up to $900. Colombia's monthly minimum wage is currently $330.

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while fighting Russian forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)

This 2023 photo provided by a 32-year-old professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia who goes by the call sign Checho shows him in his combat gear in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Checho says he was struck by fire from a drone during a rescue operation to save a wounded colleague on the front line after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces. At the hospital in the Kyiv region, Checho found himself with more than fifty other Colombians, most with light injuries sustained while fighting Russian forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. They are among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have made the journey to Ukraine to help its forces fight the Russians. (Courtesy of Checho via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

In Ukraine any member of the armed forces, regardless of citizenship, is entitled to a monthly salary of up to $3,300, depending on their rank and type of service. They are also entitled to up to $28,660 if they are injured, depending on the severity of the wounds. If they are killed in action, their families are due $400,000 compensation.

Hector Bernal, a military instructor, poses for a photo in La Mesa, Colombia, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Bernal, a retired combat medic who runs a center for tactical medicine outside Bogotá, says that in the last eight months he’s trained more than 20 Colombians who later went on to fight in Ukraine. He says that a professional soldier who has six years in the army doesn’t make more than $600 a month in Colombia but in Ukraine the soldiers are being paid $3000 to $4000 a month. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Hector Bernal, a military instructor, poses for a photo in La Mesa, Colombia, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Bernal, a retired combat medic who runs a center for tactical medicine outside Bogotá, says that in the last eight months he’s trained more than 20 Colombians who later went on to fight in Ukraine. He says that a professional soldier who has six years in the army doesn’t make more than $600 a month in Colombia but in Ukraine the soldiers are being paid $3000 to $4000 a month. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)© Provided by The Associated Press

Checho says principle drove him to travel to Kyiv last September. He estimates that in his unit alone, there were around 100 other fighters from Colombia who had made the same journey.

“I know that there are not many of us, but we try to give the most we have in order to make things happen and to see a change as soon as possible,” he said.

In Colombia, word about recruitment to the Ukrainian army spreads mostly through social media. Some of the volunteers who already fight in Ukraine share insights on the recruitment process on platforms such as TikTok or WhatsApp.

But when something goes wrong, getting information about their loved ones is hard for relatives.

Diego Espitia lost contact with his cousin Oscar Triana after Triana joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023. Six weeks later, the retired soldier from Bogotá stopped posting updates on social media.

With no Ukrainian embassy in Bogotá, Triana’s family reached out for information from the Ukrainian embassy in Peru and the Colombian consulate in Poland — the last country Triana passed through on his way into Ukraine. Neither responded.

“We want the authorities in both countries to give us information about what happened, to respond to our emails. That is what we are demanding now,” Espitia said.

The Associated Press tracked down a Colombian fighter who uses the call sign Oso Polar — Polar Bear — and says he was the last person to see Triana alive on October 8, 2023. He says Triana’s unit was ambushed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, after which his fate was unknown.


Diego Fernando Espitia, the cousin of Colombian soldier Oscar Arley Triana, who disappeared in the war in Ukraine, shows his cousin's entry papers into the Ukrainian army, in Bogotá, Colombia, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Espitia lost contact with his cousin, who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023. Six weeks later, the retired soldier from Bogotá stopped posting updates on social media. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Diego Fernando Espitia, the cousin of Colombian soldier Oscar Arley Triana, who disappeared in the war in Ukraine, shows his cousin's entry papers into the Ukrainian army, in Bogotá, Colombia, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Espitia lost contact with his cousin, who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023. Six weeks later, the retired soldier from Bogotá stopped posting updates on social media. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)© Provided by The Associated Press

The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to The Associated Press that Triana is officially missing, but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared.

Espitia, his cousin, says he’s not sure what motivated Triana to fight in Ukraine. But the 43-year-old had served in the Colombian army for more than 20 years and leaving it had been “mentally difficult,” Espitia said.

“It could’ve been for the money, or because he missed the adrenaline of being in combat. But he didn’t open up very much about his reasons for going,” Espitia said.

After almost three weeks in the hospital, Checho has returned to Ukraine’s front line. So have more than 50 other Colombian fighters who were treated in the same facility.

Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters

Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters© Provided by The Associated Press

“The situation here is hard,” Checho told AP. “We are under constant bombardment, but we will keep fighting.”

This 2023 photo provided by Oscar Triana's Colombian comrade, who uses the call sign Oso Polar, shows Triana, a retired soldier from Bogotá who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023, on the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Oso Polar was the last person to see Triana alive on October 8, 2023. He says Triana’s unit was ambushed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, after which his fate was unknown. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (Oso Polar via AP)

This 2023 photo provided by Oscar Triana's Colombian comrade, who uses the call sign Oso Polar, shows Triana, a retired soldier from Bogotá who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023, on the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Oso Polar was the last person to see Triana alive on October 8, 2023. He says Triana’s unit was ambushed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, after which his fate was unknown. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (Oso Polar via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press
 
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Rueda reported from Bogotá, Colombia. Efrem Lukatsky and Susie Blann in Kyiv contributed to this story.

A barber cuts the hair of Checho, 32, a wounded professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia, in a hospital in Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Checho joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks, and the Colombian army volunteers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A barber cuts the hair of Checho, 32, a wounded professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia, in a hospital in Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Checho joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish its depleted ranks, and the Colombian army volunteers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)© Provided by The Associated Press

A nurse brings lunch for a wounded professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia, who goes by the call sign of Checho, 32, in a hospital in Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Checho joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish depleted ranks and the Colombian army volunteers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A nurse brings lunch for a wounded professional soldier from Medellín, Colombia, who goes by the call sign of Checho, 32, in a hospital in Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Checho joined the Ukrainian armed forces to help fight Russia. After two years of war, Ukraine is looking for ways to replenish depleted ranks and the Colombian army volunteers are a welcome addition. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)© Provided by The Associated Press



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Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters

Russia Ukraine War Colombian Fighters© Provided by The Associated Press

Diego Fernando Espitia, the cousin of Colombian soldier Oscar Arley Triana, who disappeared in the war in Ukraine, shows his cousin's entry papers into the Ukrainian army, in Bogotá, Colombia, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Espitia lost contact with his cousin, who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023. Six weeks later, the retired soldier from Bogotá stopped posting updates on social media. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Diego Fernando Espitia, the cousin of Colombian soldier Oscar Arley Triana, who disappeared in the war in Ukraine, shows his cousin's entry papers into the Ukrainian army, in Bogotá, Colombia, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Espitia lost contact with his cousin, who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023. Six weeks later, the retired soldier from Bogotá stopped posting updates on social media. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)© Provided by The Associated Press


This 2023 photo provided by Oscar Triana's Colombian comrade, who uses the call sign Oso Polar, shows Triana, a retired soldier from Bogotá who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023, cooking on the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Oso Polar was the last person to see Triana alive on October 8, 2023. He says Triana’s unit was ambushed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, after which his fate was unknown. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing, but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (Oso Polar via AP)

This 2023 photo provided by Oscar Triana's Colombian comrade, who uses the call sign Oso Polar, shows Triana, a retired soldier from Bogotá who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023, cooking on the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Oso Polar was the last person to see Triana alive on October 8, 2023. He says Triana’s unit was ambushed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, after which his fate was unknown. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing, but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (Oso Polar via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

This 2023 photo provided by Oscar Triana's Colombian comrade, who uses the call sign Oso Polar, shows Triana, a retired soldier from Bogotá who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023, on the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Oso Polar was the last person to see Triana alive on October 8, 2023. He says Triana’s unit was ambushed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region after which his fate was unknown. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (Oso Polar via AP)

This 2023 photo provided by Oscar Triana's Colombian comrade, who uses the call sign Oso Polar, shows Triana, a retired soldier from Bogotá who joined the Ukrainian army in August 2023, on the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Oso Polar was the last person to see Triana alive on October 8, 2023. He says Triana’s unit was ambushed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region after which his fate was unknown. The Ukrainian military unit where Triana was serving confirmed to AP that Triana is officially missing but would not disclose any details surrounding the circumstances in which he disappeared. (Oso Polar via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press[/SIZE]
 
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