Specialized anti-trafficking prosecutors in Peru opened a preliminary investigation after relatives of Peruvian citizens said family members had traveled to Russia for promised jobs and later ended up in the war against Ukraine.
Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office officially announced the investigation on May 1. Prosecutors said the alleged victims had been promised jobs as security guards and other forms of employment in Russia in return for payment.
According to statements relatives gave police, some of the recruits may have been forced to take part in combat after arriving in Russia. Prosecutors are investigating those allegations as possible human trafficking.
The exact number of people affected has not been officially established. Lawyers representing families later offered much higher estimates running into the hundreds, but state authorities did not confirm those figures.
Peru’s Foreign Ministry also began assisting citizens seeking to return from Russia. By early May, officials said several dozen people had returned and warned the public about fraudulent job offers that could result in deployment to the front.
Prosecutors officially announced the investigation on May 1; subsequent media reports appeared later.