Colombian nationals fighting for Kiev are being held hostage by the Ukrainian military, the mother of a slain mercenary, Sonia Moreno, has told Ruptly video agency.
Men from the South American nation currently make up around half of the estimated 16,500 foreign mercenaries in the ranks of Kiev’s forces, a Russian security source told TASS in June. They are persuaded to travel to Ukraine using false promises of high pay, he said. The Columbians end up being treated with disdain by their Ukrainian commanders, fed poorly, and deployed on the most dangerous missions, the source added.
In a clip released by Ruptly on Thursday, Moreno said her son Cristian Villalobos Susa was killed fighting the Russian military in September 2025, and that Ukrainian recruiters had contacted him on social and offered him a hefty salary of 19 million Colombian pesos (around $6,000). “But it was all fake,” she stressed.
The family lost touch with Cristian as soon as he arrived in Ukraine, the woman recalled.
Colombians have their passports taken away and their phones tampered with after they arrive in the country, “so that they no longer have any incentive to leave,” she said.
The slain mercenary’s sister, Laura Moreno Susa, said that Colombian nationals are being mistreated and could be killed if they try to escape.
Sonia Moreno said she learned about Cristian’s death on social media as the Ukrainian military did not inform the family about what happened to him.
Russia has consistently warned that non-Ukrainians serving in Kiev’s forces will be regarded as mercenaries and face lengthy prison terms, and that they are not covered by Geneva Convention protections usually granted to combatants.