Indonesian Police Uncover Suspected Russian Mercenary Training Site in Pemalang

JAKARTA, INDONESIAN POST — A Ukrainian national identified by the initials IM allegedly prepared a house in Pemalang regency, Central Java, as part of a network recruiting Indonesians to serve as mercenaries for Russia, police said.

West Jakarta Police Chief Senior Commissioner Nasriadi said the property was allegedly intended for paramilitary training before recruits left for Russia.

“He provided accommodation and other necessities for these prospective mercenaries for Russia. He even had a house in Pemalang prepared for paramilitary training,” Nasriadi told a news conference in Jakarta on Friday.

Nasriadi said the site was allegedly intended to provide physical training for Indonesians who were to be sent to Russia.

However, he said no training had taken place because police uncovered the network before it could begin.

“No training had taken place, but they had already rented the premises. Had we not arrested them, those activities might have taken place there. It was an old building, but they had created a new space specifically for those activities,” he said.

In addition to preparing the site, IM allegedly arranged various aspects of the prospective recruits’ departure.

Those arrangements allegedly included hotel bookings, lodging and spending money, as well as promises of employment contracts for Indonesians recruited into the scheme.

Nasriadi said the network offered monthly pay of Rp40 million to Rp50 million, with promised contracts worth up to Rp400 million.

“The promised contracts were generally for one year. But in reality, we suspect they were unable to return home once they got there,” he said.

Nasriadi said investigators were pursuing the case to establish whether other preparation sites or recruitment networks were operating in Indonesia.

He said police had coordinated with immigration authorities, the Indonesian National Police’s International Relations Division and several regional police units to trace Indonesians who had already been sent abroad.

“We believe many other networks remain undiscovered. We therefore urge the public not to be lured by offers of high pay to become mercenaries. The risks are enormous, and they could become casualties on the front lines,” he said.

Source: ANTARA/Ans