The deputy claims to have documented cases of young people who traveled to work as cooks, welders, and mechanics, but who were allegedly being prepared to be sent to the front lines
Santo Domingo.– Deputy Carlos de Pérez denounced this Thursday that young Dominicans are allegedly being recruited through social media with supposed offers of ordinary jobs in Russia and that, once they arrive in that country, they are allegedly stripped of their passports and subjected to training processes to be sent to the front lines in the war against Ukraine.
The legislator assured that he has several documented cases, including three young people from La Romana, who allegedly traveled attracted by offers to work as cooks, welders, mechanics, and other trades.
“I have several documented cases, including three from La Romana, of young people who have been contacted through social media for ordinary jobs,” stated De Pérez.
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According to their complaint, recruiters provide them with plane tickets to travel to Russia and, upon arrival, they allegedly withhold their documents to incorporate them into the military process.
De Pérez further stated that he had received information about 10 Dominicans who are currently in Russia in a phase prior to their possible deployment to the battlefront, including individuals from San Cristóbal and Haina.
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“They are already in Russia, they are already in the hands of Russian personnel, they are being prepared, they are undergoing examinations and will be sent to the battlefront,” the congressman maintained. These statements correspond to the deputy’s accusation and have not been independently confirmed by the Dominican authorities.
Request the Government to intervene
Given the situation, De Pérez requested that the Dominican government carry out diplomatic efforts to determine the conditions in which the young people find themselves and to seek their return in cases where they have been recruited through deception.
The deputy indicated that he possesses names, airline tickets, and data regarding the location of at least one of those affected, information he said he is willing to provide to the authorities to facilitate their location.
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Likewise, he proposed that the Ministry of Labor establish a special protocol for Dominicans who receive job offers in countries linked to armed conflicts, so that they can previously verify the authenticity and conditions of the employment.
The legislator’s complaint comes at a time when other reports have come to light regarding Dominicans who have traveled to Russia. The Dominican Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) has reported that more than 150 citizens may have left under deceptive job offers, while another 50 Dominicans may have traveled with the knowledge that they would be hired to fight, according to statements by Carlos Manuel Sánchez Díaz, coordinator of the organization, published by Infobae.
Furthermore, an investigation documented advertisements spread on social media that initially present themselves as job opportunities in Russia and which, upon establishing contact, lead to processes related to recruitment for the Russian armed forces. The media outlet clarified that it could not establish whether those promoting these offers maintained official ties with the Russian government or its contractors.
The topic has gained notoriety in recent days due to the case of Juan Carlos Ávila Espaillat, a Dominican who posts videos on social media dressed in military attire and claims to be fighting on the Russian side. A document attributed to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, dated August 16, indicates that Ávila Espaillat passed a selection process to serve in the military under contract in the Russian Armed Forces.
De Pérez distanced that case from the young people referred to in his complaint, by maintaining that the latter had traveled under the belief that they would be performing civilian work.
“That rumor that was going around is no longer a rumor,” stated the deputy, who insisted that the Dominican authorities must investigate the possible recruitment scheme and act diplomatically regarding the reported cases.
