Colombian drug cartels recruiting Ukraine war veterans for drone expertise

Colombian drug cartels are sending their fighters to serve in Ukraine and recruiting veterans of the conflict in order to acquire drone expertise for use in their domestic struggle against the country’s government.

This was reported by the Financial Times.

According to the publication, unmanned aerial vehicles have already changed the rules of Colombia’s internal conflict and stripped the government of its customary air superiority. The cartels are either sending their people directly to fight in Ukraine to master the finer points of drone use, or attempting to recruit those returning to Colombia with already-acquired experience operating modern unmanned systems.

“The recruitment schemes are very complex, but what worries me most is the level of specialization they are achieving. Former paramilitary members, former guerrillas, and former soldiers are fighting here together and learning to operate drones,” — said a Colombian employee of a humanitarian organization in Ukraine.

The FT notes, however, that the drug cartels have not yet learned to encrypt communications between a drone and its pilot or to attach explosive devices in the way it is done in Ukraine. Nevertheless, they are already using fiber-optic drones. In response, the Colombian government has introduced strict restrictions on the import of all drones.

People from Latin America make up the largest group of foreigners fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to military ombudsman Olha Reshetilova, nearly 16,000 foreigners from 72 countries are fighting on Ukraine’s side, with almost 40% of them coming from Latin American countries.

The publication previously reported that the Italian mafia is attempting to purchase on the black market unmanned aerial vehicles that have appeared there as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.