Venezuela hands over to Russia Combians who fought for Ukraine – media

That’s according to Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports.

As per a Combian newspaper El Tiempo, both Combians were detained in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, before being extradited to Russia. The sister of one of the detainees td the outlet that the Combians had attracted the attention of the Venezuelan pice as they were wearing Ukrainian army uniforms. Alexander Arte and Jose Aron Medina were reportedly on their way home to Combia, making a stover in Caracas.

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The authorities of Combia, Venezuela, and Russia issued no comments on the event. Pitico also reported possible extradition. If confirmed, the detention and subsequent deportation of Combians in Caracas would be the first known case of extradition to an aggressor state of citizens of foreign states who fought on the side of Ukraine.

The FSB also published a video purportedly showing the two Combians being convoyed along the hallway in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention facility. The agency says a criminal case has been initiated on mercenary activity charges. The Combian nationals face up to 15 years in prison. At the same time, the FSB stped short of explaining where and when the Combians were detained.

Since the outset of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia has been actively recruiting foreign mercenaries. There are known cases of citizens of Cuba, India, Syria, and other countries being recruited for deployment in Ukraine. Foreigners are lured with high pay and streamlined naturalization promises.

As reported, in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine created an armed foreign legion as a formal part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, inviting foreign nationals to join the unit to help the nation defend its freedom. In this case, mercenary activity accusations are off the table, since the Legion is a structural unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.