They vanished for weeks. Now Russia says it detained two Colombian men on suspicion of fighting for Ukraine
By Tara John, Stefano Pozzebon, Mariya Knight and Maija-Liisa Ehlinger, CNN
(CNN) — Russian authorities say they have detained two Colombian men suspected of fighting for the Ukrainian military – a shocking twist in the weeks-long case of their disappearance since mid-July.
The last time Cielo Imbachí heard from her husband was more than 40 days ago, while he was on a layover in the Venezuelan capital Caracas. At the time, Jose Aron Medina was on his way back to Colombia after spending around nine months in Ukraine, she says.
He never made it home.
On Friday, Medina and his friend, fellow Colombian Alexander Ante, appeared in a video released by the Russian Federal Security Service, which accused them both of “participating in hostilities on the side of Ukraine against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation as mercenaries.”
The Colombians were carrying “documents confirming their illegal activities,” said the FSB statement, and clothing with the insignia of the Ukrainian Carpathian Sich battalion.
State TV channel Russia 1 reported that Ante and Medina were in Venezuela when they were detained and extradited to Russia. Their detention in Moscow was ordered by the city’s Lefortovsky District Court on August 28 and they are being held until October 22, the court’s press service told state news agency TASS.
The two men’s detention and apparent extradition highlight the strong economic and military ties Russia has with Venezuela while also serving as a warning to foreign fighters, estimated to number in the thousands, who flocked to help Ukraine in the war effort.
Reached for comment by CNN, Ukraine’s International Legion said it does not provide any information about potential, current, future, or former servicemen. It said it is reaching out “to other units where Colombians are serving,” adding that the “whole story sounds weird and unlikely.”
In the meantime, Imbachí says she received no information from any of the countries involved.
“I still haven’t been able to speak with him: the last time I spoke with my husband was that fateful day, 18th of July… from then nothing. And we just saw the videos of him in a Moscow court,” Imbachí told CNN.
“Venezuela just took them and deported them to Russia, and we don’t understand the reason why they were deported,” she said.
Venezuela’s foreign minister did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
A Colombian government source told CNN its foreign ministry is waiting for official reports from the consulates in Caracas and Moscow to understand how best to assist the pair. The ministry also told CNN that it has requested and is awaiting more information from Moscow through diplomatic channels.
‘We are desperate’
Imbachí and Medina, 36, have a nine-year-old daughter and a son from her previous marriage. Both men, Medina and Ante, come from the western Colombian city of Popayán, and they live close to each other, she said.
Imbachí said her husband left for Ukraine last November, joining Ante who was already there. Medina decided to return home this July. She said he flew from Warsaw in Poland to Madrid, Spain, and then onwards to Venezuela. His destination was Popayán.
It remains unclear why the two men traveled through Venezuela, as there are several direct flight options between Spain and Colombia. Traveling through Venezuela is difficult due to sanctions imposed by the United States against the Latin American country.
Imbachí thinks her husband went via Caracas as it was the cheapest option. “Flights from Spain to Colombia are really expensive, while I think Venezuela was cheaper.” She does not know how they were planning to get from Caracas to Popayán.
A missing-person flyer from Colombia’s attorney general, with photos of the two men, said that their last known location was a Venezuelan airport on July 18 where they were seen “wearing camouflaged clothing from the Ukrainian Army.”
Imbachí and Colombian congressman Jose Uscategui went to the Venezuelan embassy in Colombia’s capital Bogota on July 26 to “make a formal request for the safe return of these individuals to their home,” according to a tweet from Uscategui.
CNN is attempting to contact Ante’s family.
Venezuela has grown closer to Russia over the last several years as Nicolas Maduro seeks Russia’s support to shore up his embattled presidency. The two countries have signed several bilateral agreements, including an extradition treaty.
CNN’s Karol Suarez and Mau Torres contributed reporting
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