Minister warns of foreign employment scams pretending to offer lucrative positions in Russian army

Minister of Labor and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara has urged the general public not to seek military employment opportunities in foreign countries.

Issuing a statement in this regard, the Minister highlighted the presence of a human trafficking network that is currently facilitating the recruitment of Sri Lankan youths for military service in Russia.

Under the guise of offering lucrative positions within the Russian army, retired military personnel are being enlisted by these traffickers. However, instead of legitimate military service, these individuals are being deployed to serve in the Russian mercenary group known as Wagner, the minister revealed.

The statement further disclosed that these recruits are being assigned to frontline security duties and that they have gone unpaid for several months.

Minister Nanayakkara stressed that no individual will be dispatched abroad for military service without prior approval from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Therefore, the SLBFE also requests the citizens to refrain from seeking employment opportunities abroad on tourist visas under any circumstances.

In the meantime, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested two retired army officers in Kurunegala area for fraudulently obtaining money from individuals on the promise of securing them employment in the Russian army.

Meanwhile, Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa has confirmed that investigations into the human trafficking activities associated with this matter will be intensified.