8 Indonesian Citizens Alleged to be Russian Mercenaries, Deputy Minister of Migrant Worker Protection: Not Human Trafficking, They Were Lured by Advertisements
The government has requested that allegations of human trafficking (TPPO) regarding eight Indonesian citizens, who are reportedly recruited as Russian mercenaries, not be concluded without examining the elements of exploitation and the formal legal process.
The Deputy Minister of Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection and Deputy Head of BP2MI, Christina Aryani, emphasised that the status of human trafficking is governed by clearly defined elements within existing laws and regulations. Therefore, such allegations must be investigated and assessed by law enforcement agencies.
Christina made these remarks when met at the Government Communication Agency (Bakom) office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, in response to reports regarding the eight Indonesian citizens recruited as mercenaries for Russia.
“The core issue is that they were enticed by advertisements, so it is said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will attempt to negotiate, seeing if they can be returned or other arrangements. However, they are usually bound by contracts, so it is like that,” she said.
Christina noted that the phenomenon of Indonesian citizens joining foreign militaries is not entirely new. According to her, similar cases have occurred in the past, though infrequently, and have now resurfaced in the public eye.
“It is not a new phenomenon, actually; it has happened once or twice before, but it is emerging again now,” Christina stated.
She rejected the immediate categorisation of the case as human trafficking based solely on the recruitment method or certain inducements. She emphasised that the presence of exploitation is a crucial factor that must be examined to determine if a case meets the legal criteria for human trafficking.
“Not at all. If it is called human trafficking, the law is clear. So, one must look again: is there exploitation involved? There are many such cases,” she explained.
According to Christina, the label of human trafficking cannot be applied based solely on an individual’s claim of being a victim. She cited examples of Indonesian citizens working as scammers abroad who were aware of the nature of their work from the outset.
“Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, I am a victim of human trafficking,’ even though they consciously went abroad to work as a scammer. They knew what they were doing, but they might claim it is human trafficking just to gain attention,” she revealed.