Moscow (AFP) - Peruvian Foreign Minister Carlos Espá addressed this Monday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, the "desperate situation" of 459 compatriots who have been recruited by Russian forces to fight in Ukraine.

First modification: 11/09/2026 - 18:44

In early October, a court in Peru ordered preventive detention for a man accused of human trafficking, who allegedly offered false jobs to his victims and then sent them to fight in Ukraine alongside Russian forces.

An Amnesty International (AI) report published in September claims that Russia has deceptively recruited thousands of people from countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

In Moscow, where he was received by Lavrov, Espá called to "attend to the urgent and often desperate situation of Peruvians who have been enlisted in the armed forces of the Russian Federation to fight on the front lines of the conflict with Ukraine."

"We come to Russia on behalf of the families of those more than 459 Peruvians with the purpose of advancing political, humanitarian and consular efforts," he told Lavrov.

Espá recalled that "behind each of these cases there are families waiting for news" and have the right to know "if they are alive or if they have died or if they are prisoners of war."

The Peruvian foreign minister seeks information that will facilitate "access" to his wounded compatriots and expedite "the procedures for the repatriation of those who have unfortunately died."

According to the head of Peruvian diplomacy, his country aspires to "a sincere, constructive and humanitarian dialogue."

After the meeting, Lavrov said he had given "detailed explanations" about this matter, which has been worked on "for quite some time now" with the Peruvian embassy in Moscow.

In April, the Russian embassy in Peru acknowledged in a statement that Peruvian citizens have signed contracts to perform military service in the Russian armed forces. He stated that these were voluntary decisions.

© 2026 AFP

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