Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at 12:31 PM UTC

Indonesia yet to determine why citizens join foreign militaries

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Agatha Olivia, Kuntum Khaira

We cannot prevent them because everyone has the right to make their own decisions,

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has yet to establish why an increasing number of its citizens have joined foreign militaries, including Russia's, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Tuesday.

“This is an issue we have been investigating for quite some time, but we have not yet been able to reach any conclusions about what is actually happening behind it,” Yusril told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said police were investigating possible recruitment fraud in which individuals were promised employment opportunities but ended up being involved in military activities in foreign countries.

He said that if individuals were not deceived and voluntarily chose to join a foreign military, the Indonesian government would essentially have no grounds to prevent them.

“We cannot prevent them because everyone has the right to make their own decisions,” Yusril said.

However, Indonesians who voluntarily enlist in the armed forces of another country risk losing their Indonesian citizenship, he added.

Previously, the police named 13 individuals as suspects in a human trafficking case involving the recruitment of Indonesian citizens as mercenaries for the Russian military.

Among the suspects, two are Russian nationals and one is a Ukrainian national, while a total of 58 victims have been identified.

The allegedly trafficking scheme involved offering overseas employment opportunities through social media, job vacancy information groups, and messaging applications.

Victims were promised contract-signing bonuses of up to US$35,000 and monthly salaries of around US$3,000, police said.

The Indonesian government has also urged Russia to immediately and effectively halt the recruitment of Indonesian citizens into its military following reports of an Indonesian national being killed while serving in the Russian military in Ukraine.

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