Indonesia Demands Russia Immediately Stop Conscribing Its Citizens into the Russian Army

Kuala Lumpur -- The Indonesian government on Monday demanded that Russia “immediately and effectively” halt the recruitment of Indonesian citizens into its armed forces, through a formal request conveyed to Moscow via diplomatic channels, following reports of the death of an Indonesian national while participating in Russian military operations in Ukraine. In a statement reported by the official Indonesian news agency, Antara, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkong said that Indonesia had formally requested the Russian government to take necessary measures to ensure that “Indonesians are not recruited into the Russian military or any other formations linked to the military apparatus through any means or recruitment channel.” Mewengkong noted that “the Indonesian government pays special attention to recruitment operations that show signs of human trafficking crimes,” stressing the need for Russian authorities to take measures to prevent the recruitment of Indonesian citizens into military service. She added that Indonesia had also requested to be formally included on the list of countries whose citizens are exempt from all forms of Russian military recruitment, expressing hope that this measure would be implemented effectively and as soon as possible. Regarding reports of the Indonesian national’s death while participating in the war in Ukraine, the spokesperson confirmed that the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow continues to investigate and verify the circulating information about the incident, and that Indonesian authorities have not yet completed their verification of the details surrounding his death. The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Directorate announced on October 27 that an Indonesian national, born in 1978 and previously working as a taxi driver in Jakarta, had been killed. He had joined the Russian army under a one-year contract but died a week after being sent to the front lines in Ukraine. (End)