‘Cannon fodder’ Asians tricked to fight for Russia spur calls for intervention

A report that eight Indonesians were allegedly tricked into fighting for Moscow in its war on Ukraine

may be just the tip of the iceberg, analysts warn, cautioning that Southeast Asia’s existing scam networks could already be a hunting ground for Russian fraudsters.

Ukraine’s intelligence agency revealed on August 27 that the Indonesians had been lured with promises of well-paid civilian jobs. Jakarta has confirmed it is aware of the case.

The disclosure follows earlier reports that Moscow had lured Filipinos into combat roles. The Philippine military said in August it was still verifying reports that a Filipino fighting for Russia

had been killed in action.

In January, a Filipino identified only as a “John Patrick” was named by Ukraine’s intelligence services as among those killed in the occupied Donetsk region. Manila said at the time that it was seeking to confirm the Ukrainian statement.