Prosecutors in the Donetsk People's Republic have approved an indictment against Colombian citizen Franco Edgar Muricio Espinoza for serving as a mercenary in Ukraine.
Russia's Prosecutor General's Office stated that Espinoza received a payment of 2.6 million rubles for his combat service with Ukrainian military forces. Following his departure from Ukraine in January 2026, a court issued a custody order in absentia and placed him on an international wanted list.
According to the official investigation, Espinoza entered Ukraine through the Polish border in the summer of 2023. He formally joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where instructors provided him with military combat training before deploying him into active battle against the Russian army.
Investigators said Espinoza fought on the frontline in the Donetsk region as a member of Ukraine's 17th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade. The unit is a heavy armored formation within the Ukrainian military that has seen extensive deployment in eastern combat zones.
Extradition warrant and mercenary charges
Under Russian law, foreign citizens who participate in foreign military conflicts for financial reward face criminal prosecution under mercenary statutes. Because Espinoza left Ukrainian territory, Russian prosecutors secured an arrest warrant in absentia to facilitate potential international extradition efforts.
Colombia has become one of the primary sources of foreign fighters in Ukraine, with many retired soldiers traveling abroad for military contracts. Poland, sharing a long western border with Ukraine, has served as the main transit route for foreign nationals entering the war zone since 2022.
Surrender attempts in Kharkiv region
The prosecutor's office also referenced an earlier report concerning foreign mercenaries fighting in northeastern Ukraine. According to Russian authorities, Ukrainian barrier units targeted and killed a group of foreign fighters as they attempted to surrender to Russian forces near the village of Dolzhanka in the Kharkiv region.
Barrier units, historically known as blocking detachments, are military formations positioned behind frontline positions to enforce order and prevent unauthorized retreats or surrenders during combat operations.
