Dominican Republic Warns of Russian Job Offers as Recruits Reach the Front
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti and takes no part in the war in Ukraine.
- —Why it matters Across Latin America, men from Panama, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru have ended up in Russia’s army, many after job offers.
- —What happened On Friday 25 September the foreign ministry warned that job offers to travel to Russia may lead to the war.
- —The numbers On 25 September President Abinader put recruits at perhaps fewer than 20; a rights group counts over 200 since May.
- —What it means for you Anyone offered work in Russia over social media is urged to check the employer and contract before travelling.
- —Still open How many Dominicans are at the front, how many have died, and whether Russia will let them leave is unknown.
Dominican recruits have reached the front in Russia’s war on Ukraine, and at least one has been seriously wounded, his family says. Journalist Nuria Piera reports many were lured on social media with false job offers, while fewer signed up for the pay.
Her programme, posted by the television channel Color Visión on 28 September, followed two weeks of cases reported in the Dominican press. Three days earlier, the foreign ministry warned citizens about job offers in Russia and promised help to return.
How the offers reach young men
Many Dominican recruits were first contacted on social media, according to families, activists and one lawmaker. A post offers work as a cook, welder or mechanic, and a paid ticket to Russia follows.
Carlos De Pérez, an opposition lawmaker from La Romana, said on 17 September that passports are taken once the men arrive. He said he knew of at least 10 young Dominicans already in Russia and being prepared for the front.
A Diario Libre reporter answered an Instagram advert and reached a WhatsApp number with the +7 code of Russia and Kazakhstan. The agent offered a one-year army contract, US$3,000 a month, a paid air ticket and Russian citizenship.
The account presented itself as a travel agency, and the newspaper could not determine whether it has any official link to Russia. It also stressed that it could not verify the pay and terms it was offered.
Routes to the front
The case that drew national attention is Juan Carlos Ávila Espaillat, 28, from Higüey in the country’s tourist east. He began posting videos from Russia in mid-August, later appearing in Russian army uniform.
His family says he told them a Russian woman he met while working in Bávaro would help him find a job. A document obtained by Diario Libre, dated 16 August and attributed to Russia’s defence ministry, says he passed selection for contract service.
On Tuesday 22 September his brother said on Instagram that Ávila was chased by a drone and stepped on a mine. In a video reported by Listín Diario, Ávila said he had undergone two operations and was waiting for a third.
His brother said he believes several men in the unit were killed, among them a Colombian named Camilo Vargas. By 23 September the family had publicly asked President Luis Abinader to help bring him home.
Other families describe a route that ran through Panama and Istanbul. In an interview carried by Infobae, two mothers in Bajos de Haina said their sons had left for promised jobs in Panama.
What the government says
The foreign ministry, known as Mirex, said on 25 September that it had received complaints about job offers to travel to Russia. It urged citizens to check the employer, the offer and the contract, especially when dealing only online or through unverified intermediaries.
The ministry warned that any involvement in an armed conflict can put life, physical integrity and safety at grave risk. It promised consular help and said it would work to bring vulnerable citizens safely home.
Abinader told reporters in New Jersey that day that “perhaps fewer than 20 people” had answered such offers, the daily Hoy reported. He said the government is investigating whether networks deceive people online, and Infobae reported that he ruled out barring work abroad.
Foreign Minister Víctor Bisonó raised the offers with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, at the UN General Assembly in New York. The Dominican presidency says Lavrov told his ministry’s Latin America department to follow up, and both agreed to stay in contact.
Two readings of the same cases
The Dominican Committee for Human Rights, a non-governmental group, gives a far higher figure for Dominican recruits than the government. Its coordinator for the south, Carlos Manuel Sánchez Díaz, told Infobae that more than 200 Dominicans have left for Russia since May.
About 50 knowingly signed up to fight, he said, while the rest believed they were heading to civilian jobs. He cited signing bonuses of US$8,000 to US$16,000, plus promised payments of up to US$500,000 if a recruit dies.
The committee says at least one Dominican has been killed by a drone, a death Abinader did not mention. One of the Haina mothers said her son’s training group held about 20 Dominicans.
Diario Libre took a different view in an editorial on 28 September. It found it hard to believe that those who joined Russia’s forces did not know what awaited them.
“Being a soldier of fortune is an ignoble occupation,” the paper wrote, while urging inquiries into any fraud or trafficking. It argued the state must protect citizens’ rights but need not promise rescues paid for by taxpayers.
A pattern across Latin America
Panama offers the closest parallel, and it has a Dominican link. A Panamanian court has ordered three Dominicans held on trafficking charges over recruiting Panamanians, Spain’s EFE agency reported on 26 September.
Prosecutors say the three received more than US$800,000 to recruit Panamanians via TikTok, Diario Libre reported, citing Panama’s La Prensa. The defence called detention excessive because the investigation is at an early stage.
Panama’s foreign ministry says 30 Panamanians took part in the war and 17 have come home unhurt, EFE added. Eleven of those had served with Russian forces and six with Ukrainian forces, and at least one Panamanian has died.
Bolivia’s foreign ministry had received 34 requests for consular help and brought five citizens home, El Deber reported on 21 September. Offers described by that Bolivian newspaper promised US$2,500 to US$2,700 a month for building or security work.
Citing Colombia’s El Espectador, Diario Libre reported that hundreds of Colombians have been recruited by both Russia and Ukraine. El Deber reports that a UN commission of inquiry found many foreigners were lured by agents offering well-paid civilian jobs.
What Russia and Ukraine say
Russia’s embassy in Bolivia “categorically” denied any link to the recruitment on 14 July, El Deber reported. A day later the ambassador, Dmitry Verchenko, said “we know nothing of this recruitment system”.
Ukraine also has foreigners in its ranks, including Latin Americans. Colombia’s El Espectador notes that Colombians are the largest foreign group in Ukraine’s forces, while others, mostly ex-soldiers, were recruited by Russia.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council on 23 September that Russia uses citizens of 47 countries, El Espectador reported. Ukraine’s prisoner-of-war headquarters counted 27,407 foreigners fighting for Russia by 30 March, from 135 countries, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Amnesty International has concluded that in many cases Russia’s recruitment of foreigners amounts to human trafficking, Listín Diario reported. The rights group said Russia’s armed forces fill their ranks with foreigners in economic hardship, often through coercion or deception.
The pattern reaches well beyond Latin America, into Africa and Asia. Kenya is one example, as shown in Report Maps 289 Online Channels Luring Kenyans to Fight for Russia.
What is not known
No official count of Dominican recruits in Russia’s forces has been published, and the two estimates differ tenfold. Deaths reported by families and activists, and the document attributed to Russia’s defence ministry, could not be independently confirmed.
It is also unclear who paid for Ávila’s journey and when he decided to join the army. His family first understood he was going to Russia for a civilian job, according to his aunt.
Whether Moscow will release Dominicans from their contracts is not known. Panama’s case against the three Dominicans is at an early stage, and none of them has been convicted.
What comes next
The foreign ministry says Dominicans in trouble can contact its embassy in Moscow or its citizen-protection office in Santo Domingo. Families of Dominican recruits in Higüey and Bajos de Haina are waiting to hear whether that help reaches their sons.
The warning does not mean the Dominican Republic is a party to the war, and it is not a travel ban. Abinader said the government wants people “to know what they are getting into” before they accept work abroad.
Nor does the warning forbid work in Russia, as the ministry asks people to verify offers, above all those made only online. For the families already waiting, much now depends on contacts between Santo Domingo and Moscow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Dominican recruits are in Russia?
No one knows for certain. President Luis Abinader said on 25 September that perhaps fewer than 20 people had answered such offers, while the Dominican Committee for Human Rights says more than 200 have travelled since May, about 50 of them knowingly.
Why do Latin Americans end up fighting for Russia?
Most cases start with online job offers promising pay far above local wages, sometimes with signing bonuses. Families and prosecutors in several countries say recruits learned only in Russia that the job was military service, while activists say some signed up knowingly for the money.
What should someone offered work in Russia do?
The Dominican foreign ministry advises checking the source of the offer, the employer’s identity and the contract before travelling, especially when everything is arranged online or through intermediaries who cannot be verified. Dominicans already in difficulty can contact the embassy in Moscow.
Is the Dominican Republic involved in the war?
No. It is not a party to the war in Ukraine. Its foreign minister met Russia’s Sergei Lavrov at the UN in September, and the government has promised consular help to citizens who want to return.
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