Antara News·Indonesia·Monday, November 2, 2026 at 03:02 PM UTC

Police name 13 suspects in Russian mercenary trafficking case

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Nadia Putri R, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate, along with the Directorate of Criminal Investigation of Human Trafficking at the Regional Police, have named 13 suspects in a human trafficking case involving recruitment as Russian mercenaries.

Brigadier General Nurul Azizah, Director of the Directorate of Crimes against Women and Children and Human Trafficking at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), on Monday said the 13 suspects were identified from five police reports handled by the National Police.

Of the 13 suspects, two are Russian citizens and one is a Ukrainian citizen.

The total number of victims is 58, consisting of five victims in the Bareskrim Polri case, 12 victims in the West Jakarta Metro Police case, 12 victims in the Jakarta Metro Police case, seven victims in other Bareskrim Polri cases, and 22 victims in the Bogor Police and West Java Regional Police cases.

Azizah said the perpetrators used social media, job portals, and messaging apps to lure victims with promises of overseas employment.

The victims were promised a signing bonus of up to US$35,000 and a monthly salary of around US$3,000.

The victims were initially offered jobs in logistics, border security, and defense construction. However, after going through the recruitment process and being dispatched to Russia, they were directed to sign contracts as mercenaries, undergo training, and potentially be deployed to conflict zones.

According to Azizah, trafficking for mercenary recruitment poses significant risks, as victims are sent to armed conflict zones without legal protection, clear employment contracts, or guarantees of occupational safety.

The suspects were charged under Article 4 in conjunction with Article 10 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of Human Trafficking and Article 81 of Law Number 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers.

Azizah also urged the public to be cautious of suspicious overseas job offers and report them to law enforcement to prevent human trafficking.

"We stand with zero tolerance for exploitation or human trafficking, regardless of the perpetrator and their background," she emphasized.

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