Indonesia should exert stronger public pressure on Russia over the recruitment of its citizens to participate in the war against Ukraine. This is the call from Indonesian scholar Radityo Dharmaputra, who researches the issue. He described the government’s response as ineffective and said that President Prabowo Subianto should have raised the matter with Vladimir Putin.
Dharmaputra believes that Indonesia should also discuss the problem at the level of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to him, Jakarta could also consider banning the dispatch of its migrant workers to Russia. These proposals come amid reports that the Russian recruitment network is expanding in Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Cases involving 58 Indonesians under investigation
According to Foreign Policy magazine, the Russian army is simultaneously using an open recruitment campaign and covert recruitment schemes in Southeast Asia. At a press conference, Indonesia’s National Police announced that national and regional police structures are investigating cases involving 58 citizens.
Those recruited over the years include former military personnel and retired police officers. After the identities of some of them were publicly revealed, they were stripped of their Indonesian citizenship. In recent months, however, there has been an increase in cases involving people with no military or security-service experience being targeted.
Candidates were often promised well-paid jobs far from the front line. After arriving in Russia, they were pressured to sign military contracts and were subsequently sent into combat. Munira Mustaffa, executive director of Chasseur Group and a senior researcher at Verve Research, compares this practice to the methods used by criminal scam centres.
“Many men were lured to Russia with promises of jobs away from the front line and did not expect that they would have to fight directly on the battlefield,” Mustaffa said.Jakarta has already made a diplomatic request
Indonesia has officially asked Russia to stop both the overt and covert recruitment of its citizens for military service. The request was delivered through diplomatic channels. Jakarta has also insisted that the country be included on the list of states whose citizens are excluded from the official recruitment of foreigners into the Russian army.
The diplomatic response was also prompted by reports about an Indonesian taxi driver from Jakarta who signed a contract with the Russian army and was killed in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, his training lasted about a week and a half.
The response in Southeast Asia remains limited. According to the publication, only the Philippines has announced that it will investigate cases of illegal recruitment, while Indonesia continues to examine the specific cases and the channels used to recruit citizens.
Sources: unian.net, foreignpolicy.com, channelnewsasia.com