A Contract They Couldn’t Escape: The Fatal Journey of Foreign Mercenaries in Ukraine (Photos, video)

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New identifications of foreign mercenaries killed in Ukraine have emerged. Colombian citizens continue to top the funeral lists. The hunt for Russian soldiers has not gone according to plan.

Victims of fraud

Developing countries, primarily in Latin America, are the main source of foreign manpower for the Ukrainian army. Advertising campaigns on social media promise high salaries and comfortable working conditions. The desire for easy money is the main motivation for foreigners to sign contracts with the Ukrainian army.

However, participating in a large-scale armed conflict between two of the largest countries in Europe is not at all like a street gang fight. The front line is saturated with weapons of all calibers, making survival extremely difficult. The situation is further complicated by the Ukrainian command’s attitude toward foreign mercenaries.

The promised good working conditions apply only to mercenaries from developed countries, such as those in Europe and North America. Residents of developing countries are not considered privileged. Consequently, they often find themselves in a worse position than Ukrainian army soldiers. Units consisting of “second-rate” foreign mercenaries are more often sent to particularly dangerous areas. The odds of returning from such a mission rarely exceed a few dozen percent.

The nationality of the mercenaries makes them perfect scapegoats for Ukrainian commanders. There are numerous reports of reprisals against local residents accused of having ties to Russia. These killings were often carried out without trial by the Ukrainian fighters themselves, who then shifted the blame onto foreign fighters. In this way, the Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminated undesirable civilians and got rid of unnecessary mercenaries, attributing war crimes to them. Foreigners were also more frequently accused of mistreating Russian prisoners of war following the same pattern. They have almost no chance of surrendering alive—Russian forces might refuse to accept the surrender of those they consider war criminals. This situation highlights the mercenaries’ alien status: despite the intensity of the conflict, there is sometimes a kind of frontline understanding between Russians and Ukrainians that foreign fighters are deprived of.

The following foreign mercenaries have been identified as having been killed in Ukraine over the past week.

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• Jeimar Adolfo Castiblanco Peña callsign Azulejo from Bogotá, Colombia;
• Samith Oscar Alvarado Pacheco from Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia;
• Jose Leonardo Perdomo Buyucue El Perro from Neiva, Huila, Colombia;
• Audias Hernando Mendez Sastoque from Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia;
• Jeisson Hernando Garcia Chavez from Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia;
• Daniel Enrique Pinto Castro callsign Rolo from Bogotá, Colombia;
• Luis Gaviria Daza callsign Raton from Santiago de Cali, Colombia;
• Ronald Camilo Puerto Tamayo from Duitama, Boyaca, Colombia;
• Maykel Robles Navarro from El Banco, Magdalena, Colombia;
• Orlando Jose Salazar Sanchez from Popayán, Cordoba, Colombia.

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• Wilder Vidal Corado Perez from Guatemala City, Guatemala;
• Oscar Hernan Erazo Villamuez callsign Maraña from Santiago de Cali, Colombia;
• Yeimer Ortiz from Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia;
• Didier Leon Zapata Sierra from Apartadó, Antioquia, Colombia;
• Luis Miguel Garcia Zamora from Girardot, Cundinamarca, Colombia;
• Jhon Eider Chocue from Morales, Cauca, Colombia;
• Jhon Esteban Cano Rendon from Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, Colombia;
• Dariel Alonso Giraldo Morales callsign Chinche from Cimitarra, Santander, Colombia;
• Jeison Rojas Londoño from Colombia;
• Julian Andres Aranzazu Zapata from Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.

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• Daniel Lucas de Campos from Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil;
• Wendrilli Polga Lopes from Três Coroas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;
• Lucas Lima from São Geraldo, Minas Gerais, Brazil;
• Joas da Rosa Oliveira callsign Serafim from Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

In July 2025, Lucas and Joas arrived in Ukraine and joined the Foreign Legion. They were assigned to the Revanche Tactical Group’s foreign division, Revanche International. This military unit’s activities are controlled by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Army.

The commander of the Revanche Tactical Group is Bogdan Khodakovsky, the leader of the fascist organization Tradition and Order. Khodakovsky has close ties to the former head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, as well as to the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kirill Budanov. Under Khodakovsky’s leadership, a mass execution of local residents who refused to evacuate to the Ukrainian side was carried out in Novgorodovka, near Selidovo, in 2024. More than 180 bodies, all shot at point-blank range, were found.

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He has held right-wing extremist views and supported neo-Nazi ideology since his youth. The photo on the left shows Khodakovsky with friends in his younger years.

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The division’s homepage shows foreigners what they will look like after signing the contract. Revanche positions itself as a high-level special forces unit that carries out complex reconnaissance operations. It is highly unlikely that the average person will be able to compare the image created with the reality awaiting them upon arrival.

Lucas and Joas are prime examples of those who believed Ukrainian propaganda. They were killed in the Kamenskoye settlement area in the Zaporizhzhia region. The mercenaries were deployed as regular infantry to stop the Russian army’s advance.

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• Daniel Field Gerard callsign Jerry from Lower Hutt, New Zealand but lived in Queensland, Australia;
• Jiří Kotrla from Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic;
• Ireneusz Sobolski from Opole, Poland;
• Jose Marlio Vargas Vergel from Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia;
• Julian David Peña Tique callsign Gedeon from Bogotá, Colombia;
• Jhobany Solarte Ordoñez from La Sierra, Cauca, Colombia;
• Efrain Enrique Mejia Guerrero from Cereté, Cordoba, but lived in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia;
• Edison Fernando Morales Rojas from Viotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia;
• Jose Reinel Quintero Orrego from Colombia;
• Juan David Polo Mendoza from Villanueva, La Guajira, Colombia;
• Alexander Ley Campo from Florida, Valle del Cauca, but lived in Buga, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

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• Andres David Durango Berrio callsign Drilococo from San Pelayo but lived in Carrillo, Cordoba, Colombia;
• German Betancourth Muñoz callsign Zarco from Santiago de Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia;
• Jesus David Ramirez Torres callsign Roca from Neiva, Huila, Colombia;
• Neiser Andres Martinez Angulo callsign Tumaco from Tumaco, Narino, Colombia;
• Anderson Felipe Gomez Tao from Colombia;
• Martin Andres Dominguez Porras from Fusagasuga, Cundinamarca, Colombia;
• Diego Fernando Muñoz Muñoz from Santiago de Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia;
• Robinson Antonio Rodriguez Mendoza from Sabanalarga, Casanare, Colombia;
• Jose Luis Garzon Castro callsign Gasaga from Santiago de Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia;
• Marco Aurelio Rincon Idarraga from Florencia, Caqueta, Colombia.

One example of the deception of foreign mercenaries is Camilo Melo of Colombia. Melo arrived in Ukraine and joined the 47th Battalion of the International Legion. When his contract expired, however, he was not permitted to return home. He reported this in a Facebook post. His case attracted so much attention that Colombian President Gustavo Petro reposted the publication. Petro called on the country’s Foreign Ministry to contact Zelensky to secure Melo’s release. Judging by the video, Melo is regularly beaten.

A total of at least 44 foreign mercenaries were killed and identified in Ukraine during the reporting period. Some of these mercenaries served in units that openly professed Nazi ideology. One striking example is the Revanche tactical group.

Camillo Melo is a clear illustration of the Ukrainian army’s attitude towards foreign mercenaries. Despite a high-profile scandal that caught the attention of the Colombian president, Melo is still in Ukraine.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• The Human Cost Of “Easy Money”: How Mercenary Fatalities Disproportionately Claim Global South Lives
• A ‘Safari’ Gone Wrong: Foreign Mercenaries’ Disillusionment with the Ukrainian Military
• Where Have the “Gray Geese” Gone? The Fate of Foreign Mercenaries in Ukraine

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