Peru presses Russia on 459 Peruvians in its army
Foreign Minister Carlos Espá raised the case with Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. The toll of dead and missing depends on the date of each tally.
Peru's foreign minister, Carlos Espá, met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow on Monday, with the Peruvians enlisted in the Russian army at the top of the agenda. Peru's foreign ministry had said in advance that Espá would raise the problem of those fighting in the war against Ukraine.
The working figure is 459 Peruvians. Speaking to Congress on Oct. 19, Espá said 459 are believed to have joined, though the ministry has documented 430 cases.
Lima asked for verifiable information on the situation and whereabouts of each man and offered help identifying and repatriating remains. The ministry had not yet released an account of the meeting's outcome.
Two other items were on the agenda. One is Peru's Russian-made Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters, which would be needed if El Niño arrives and whose upkeep depends on Russian cooperation. The other is a deal to recognize academic degrees and titles between the two countries.
Families tell a consistent story: they were offered civilian work as cooks, guards or caregivers, then ended up signing contracts in Russian inside military facilities. In October, a Peruvian court ordered 14 months of pretrial detention for a suspected recruiter, and prosecutors are investigating human trafficking.
The toll depends on the date of the tally. In August, the ministry spoke of 11 dead, 114 missing and 3 captured by Ukraine; as of Oct. 19, it was 25 dead, 187 missing and 4 prisoners of war.
