Indonesia’s government has asked Russia to cease recruiting its citizens to fight in the war against Ukraine after new data showed a surge of Indonesians joining the conflict.
The growth in mercenary recruits comes amid Indonesian government concerns that citizens of the Southeast Asian country have been tricked into joining the Russian military under the guise of civilian employment.
“The Indonesian government has asked the Russian government to take the necessary steps to ensure that Indonesian citizens are not recruited into the military or other military-related formations in Russia through any means,” Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said in a statement reported Sunday by state news agency Antara.
Mewengkang said Indonesia requested to be added to a list of countries whose citizens are exempt from official Russian military recruitment, Antara reported, adding she expected the measure to be implemented “effectively and as soon as possible.”
The diplomatic missive to Moscow followed the publication of figures Friday by I Want to Live, a Ukrainian government initiative, showing that at least 283 Indonesians have joined the Russian military to fight in Ukraine so far this year, up from nine over the previous two years.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency, the GUR, reported last week that a former taxi driver from Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, Taufiq Muhammad, had been killed in Ukraine after signing a one-year contract to serve in the Russian military.
“Taufiq died almost immediately, during his very first battle,” the GUR wrote.
Mewengkang said Indonesia was still seeking to verify Taufiq’s death.
Indonesian officials have previously raised the alarm about what they say are deceptive practices used to lure Indonesians to the war’s front lines. Government officials are still trying to verify the whereabouts of eight Indonesian citizens who ended up in the Russian military in 2025 after reportedly traveling for civilian jobs in security and administration.
The country’s director-general of immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, said last month that Indonesians were often lured by the prospect of non-military work.
“When they went there, the offer wasn’t to join the military, that was the problem. Once they arrived, they had a hard time returning home,” he was quoted as saying by Antara.
The Russian Embassy in Jakarta did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: OCCRP · 2026-11-02