The Ministry of Defence states that an operation has been launched in order to arrest the individuals who are involved in directing retired Sri Lankan Army soldiers to join Russian or Ukraine forces by illegal means.

Defence Secretary, General (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne emphasized that the operation was initiated jointly with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Intelligence Units.

“Illegal foreign employment agents engage in human trafficking to send retired army personnel to the Russian-Ukrainian war front. They defraud money under the pretext of providing employment in the Russian army. These suspects also promise to grant land in popular areas like Petersburg if they join the Ukrainian war. Moreover, they pledge Russian citizenship for their families and more than Rs. 1 million in cash”, Mr Gunaratne added.

“However, no money has been provided, nor have any salaries been paid. Additionally, in the event of death or serious injury, no compensation is provided. Deceived by these false promises, a significant number of retired army personnel have ventured to the Ukraine war front, with some losing their lives and others sustaining injuries. Their whereabouts remain unknown.”

“We are diligently working to identify these individuals, as they have joined the war not as legitimate soldiers but recruited as mercenaries”, he stressed.