Over the past two weeks, 18 Peruvian nationals who were tricked into Russia and sent to fight against Ukraine have returned to their homeland. This was stated on RPP Radio with reference to a statement issued by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As part of consular protection efforts, another Peruvian national will return home on May 3, and six others will arrive in the country on May 4, diplomats said.
The two citizens who went to the Peruvian embassy in Moscow for support are still waiting to be returned to their homeland under the protection of diplomats. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promised that “this issue will be resolved once and for all in the coming days.”
In early May, the Peruvian Attorney General’s Office opened a preliminary investigation into possible human trafficking, after receiving hundreds of statements from citizens about the disappearance of their relatives in Russia. According to the lawyers, Peruvians were lured to come to Russia with promises of work in various fields, including those related to the armed forces. The calls included vacancies for security guards, engineers, chefs and taxi drivers who have no connection to serving on the front lines. Later, the Peruvians were forced to sign documents in Russian, had their documents taken from them, and were sent to short military training and then to war.
Lawyers representing the interests of relatives of missing Peruvian citizens say that under the scheme, about 600 Peruvians have left for Russia since October 2025. At least 13 Peruvian citizens have already died in the Russia-Ukraine war.