Indonesia has officially asked Russia to stop recruiting its citizens to take part in the war against Ukraine. The request was conveyed through diplomatic channels following reports that an Indonesian national who had been recruited into the Russian army had been killed.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang told the Antara news agency that Jakarta had asked the Russian government to take the necessary measures to ensure that Indonesians are not recruited “into the army or other formations connected with the military sphere in Russia, in any way whatsoever”.
According to her, Indonesia has drawn particular attention to practices that could constitute human trafficking. The government has asked for the country to be included on the list of states whose citizens are excluded from official recruitment into the Russian army.
Embassy in Moscow investigating the case
The Indonesian Embassy in Moscow is investigating reports of the citizen’s death. According to Mewengkang, his identity and status are being established, while the authorities are urging the public not to speculate before the investigation is completed.
Ukraine’s military intelligence reported the case on 27 October. According to its information, the deceased was a man born in 1978 who had previously worked as a taxi driver in Jakarta. He had been recruited by the Russian army under a one-year contract but was killed about a week after being sent to the front line in Ukraine.
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry warned citizens to verify offers of work abroad through the competent institutions, not to be misled by unusually high salaries and not to sign contracts whose contents they do not understand.
Russia recruits foreigners for the war
The case of the Indonesian national is part of wider reports about the recruitment of foreigners into the Russian army. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has drawn citizens of at least 47 countries into the war. The countries mentioned include Ghana, Nepal, Tajikistan, India, Yemen, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Sudan and South Africa.
Indonesia has already conducted investigations into reports concerning its citizens who were alleged to have joined the Russian armed forces. Russian Ambassador to Jakarta Sergei Tolchenov said in September that Russian diplomatic missions in Indonesia were not recruiting people for the army and that foreigners’ joining the Russian forces was a personal choice.
Jakarta’s latest request is aimed at officially ending such recruitment and at including Indonesia on the list of countries whose citizens cannot be recruited through official channels. The Indonesian side has not said when Moscow will respond.
Sources: unian.net, antaranews.com