Key points: A Moscow-backed court in occupied Donetsk has sentenced Alexander Ante (48) and Jose Aron Medina Aranda (37) to 13 years each for fighting for Ukraine. The men reportedly served in 2023–24 and disappeared in July while transiting Venezuela en route to Colombia; Russian authorities later released footage of them in custody. The case is one of several recent sentences for foreign fighters, while experts and media note many volunteers are formally enlisted by Ukraine and may not meet the legal definition of "mercenaries" under international law.
Two Colombian Nationals Sentenced to 13 Years by Moscow-Backed Court in Occupied Donetsk
Key points: A Moscow-backed court in occupied Donetsk has sentenced Alexander Ante (48) and Jose Aron Medina Aranda (37) to 13 years each for fighting for Ukraine. The men reportedly served in 2023–24 and disappeared in July while transiting Venezuela en route to Colombia; Russian authorities later released footage of them in custody. The case is one of several recent sentences for foreign fighters, while experts and media note many volunteers are formally enlisted by Ukraine and may not meet the legal definition of "mercenaries" under international law.
10:52, 07.11.2025Conflict
Two Colombian Nationals Sentenced to 13 Years by Moscow-Backed Court in Occupied Donetsk
A court run by Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk region has sentenced two Colombian nationals, Alexander Ante (48) and Jose Aron Medina Aranda (37), to 13 years in prison each for fighting on behalf of Kyiv.
The prosecutor’s office posted the ruling on its Telegram channel, saying the men were convicted "for participating in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine." Reports indicate both men served with Ukrainian forces in 2023 and 2024 and disappeared in July while transiting through Venezuela — a close ally of Russia — as they tried to return to Colombia.
“For participating in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — Alexander Ante, 48, and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, 37 — were each sentenced to 13 years in prison,” the prosecutor’s Telegram statement said.
Colombian daily El Tiempo reported in July 2024 that the men were detained in Caracas while still wearing Ukrainian military uniforms. A month later, Russian authorities announced they had taken both into custody. Video footage released by Russia’s FSB showed the pair handcuffed and in prison attire as masked officers escorted them through a courthouse.
Coverage of the verdict was widespread across Colombian media. Cielo Paz, wife of Jose Aron Medina Aranda, told AFP she had not heard from her husband since his arrest and said: "I don’t know if we will see them again one day. That’s the sad reality."
Wider context
This ruling follows other lengthy sentences for foreign nationals captured by Russian or Moscow-backed authorities. In June, Russian state news agency TASS reported that Pablo Puentes Borges, another Colombian national, received a 28-year sentence from a Russian military court on charges of terrorism and mercenary activity. In April, Miguel Angel Cardenas Montilla, also from Colombia, was reportedly sentenced to nine years for fighting with Ukrainian forces.
Russian investigators often label foreigners fighting for Ukraine as "mercenaries." However, outlets such as the Kyiv Post note that many foreign volunteers are formally enlisted into the Ukrainian armed forces and receive the same pay and status as Ukrainian soldiers. That formal enrolment generally means they do not meet the strict international-law definition of a mercenary.
Despite this, Moscow has frequently prosecuted captured foreign combatants as mercenaries — a charge that can carry up to 15 years in prison in some jurisdictions — rather than recognising them as prisoners of war with protections under the Geneva Conventions. Colombian authorities say dozens of Colombian citizens have been killed fighting in Ukraine since the large-scale invasion began in February 2022.