FT: Colombian drug cartels send fighters to fight in Ukraine so they can learn to fly drones

Colombian criminal groups send their fighters under the guise of volunteers to the Ukrainian army so that they can learn how to operate drones and then pass on their experience.

The Financial Times writes about this.

According to Taras Palyanytsya, an officer at the Recruiting Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ukrainian side has already identified Colombians among foreign volunteers who are associated with organized crime. They were suspended from service and returned home.

As the publication notes, over the past year, there have been repeated reports that Colombian illegal armed groups are trying to send their people to Ukraine so that they can master the latest drone technologies, in particular FPV drones.

One of the Colombian military personnel fighting in Ukraine said that criminal groups are particularly interested in how to protect the communication between the operator and the drone from electronic warfare and how to properly equip drones with explosives.

The Ukrainian experience is already having an impact on the situation in Colombia. While government forces previously had air superiority, rebels and drug cartels are now increasingly using cheap commercial drones for attacks.

According to the Colombian Ministry of Defense, illegal armed groups carried out 264 attacks using drones in 2024-2025. These strikes resulted in the deaths and injuries of military personnel, as well as damage to military infrastructure.

In response, Colombian authorities tightened controls on drone imports and announced the creation of a $1.6 billion anti-drone system.

At the same time, experts believe that the biggest threat lies not only in the drones themselves, but also in the transfer of combat experience. According to analysts, Colombian militants are quickly adapting Ukrainian methods of warfare, which could significantly strengthen their capabilities in the conflict within the country.

Ukrainian commanders highly appreciate the training and endurance of Colombian citizens fighting against Russia, but at the same time recognize the need to carefully screen volunteers to prevent the infiltration of representatives of criminal groups.

• Currently, approximately 16 000 foreign volunteers from at least 72 countries are fighting on Ukraineʼs side in the war against Russia, according to military ombudsman Olha Reshetylova. Almost 40% of them are from Latin American countries.

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