Russia War Recruitment Scams: How Dominicans Are Lured

EXPLAINER · DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Russia war recruitment scams follow a simple script: a well-paid civilian job abroad, a quick trip, then a military contract, often written in Russian. On Wednesday 14 October the Dominican Republic’s Labour Ministry warned citizens about this pattern after families said relatives had been drawn into the war in Ukraine.

For US readers, the offers matter because they spread through social media and family networks that reach Dominican communities in New York, New Jersey and Florida. They also show Moscow’s hunt for foreign soldiers reaching countries that work closely with Washington on security and migration.

Our news report, Dominicans Get 3 Red Flags for Russia Jobs, sets out the ministry’s three warning signs. This explainer looks at how the scheme works, why Latin Americans are targeted and what remains unclear.

How Russia War Recruitment Scams Work

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), a Paris-based network of rights groups, studied the system with Ukraine’s Truth Hounds and a Kazakh rights bureau. Their report of 29 April estimates that Russia has recruited at least 27,000 foreign nationals from more than 130 countries since February 2022.

In sub-Saharan Africa, Nepal, Cuba and Yemen, the study says, middlemen promised well-paid civilian jobs in construction, security or cleaning, plus Russian citizenship. Within days of arriving in Russia, some of those recruits found themselves in uniform and on their way to the front.

The report says up to 20% of such fighters did not survive their first four months of deployment. It adds that Russia widened foreigners’ access to military contracts by law, created fast routes to citizenship and introduced sign-up bonuses.

The authors do not claim that every recruit was deceived, and they say many knew to some extent what they were joining. Others were tricked or coerced, which is where military service can shade into human trafficking under international law.

Peru shows how one alleged recruitment chain can reach court. On 1 October prosecutors in Lima North obtained the preliminary detention of a 54-year-old man, Pocho Pinto, on suspicion of aggravated human trafficking.

Prosecutors say he offered four Peruvians about US$2,300 a month and a US$20,000 bonus after a year as guards at a military base. They also say he assured the men they would not be sent to a war zone or the front line.

One of them, Julio Salazar, was taken to military facilities, trained and made to sign a contract in Russian he did not understand, according to the prosecutors. He died at the front in April, and by 11 October a Lima judge had ordered Pinto held for 14 months while prosecutors investigate.

Pinto is presumed innocent, and the case against him has not been tested at trial. Prosecutors said the route ran from Lima through Paris, Istanbul and Moscow to Ufa.

Why Dominicans and Other Latin Americans Are Targeted

Dominican families describe the same bait in the cases now before their government. Trinidad Campusano told the newspaper Hoy that her brother Héctor, 52, went to Russia for a job welding trucks and was then put into training for the war.

Jacqueline Félix told Hoy that her son Maicol, 33, left the country on 19 August with the promise of work in Panama and is now in Russia. She said he has asked for help to leave, and that he never agreed to travel for a war.

The foreign ministry says the men signed their contracts individually on Russian soil. Some of them and their relatives told the ministry that what they found did not match the work they say they travelled for.

Russia’s ambassador in Santo Domingo, Alexey Seredin, gave a different picture on the El Día programme on Telesistema, the newspaper reported on 5 October. “Russia considers these volunteers heroes,” he said, describing enlistment as a personal choice that foreigners may make under Russian law.

The FIDH study says recruiters focus on people in economic, social or legal hardship, from undocumented migrants to workers in insecure jobs. Many, it says, were drawn by promises of citizenship and wages far above anything available at home.

Relatives have kept up a protest outside the National Congress in Santo Domingo, Hoy reported on 9 October. Their main fear, relatives told Hoy, is that the men now in training will be sent to the front.

What the Dominican Government Has Done

The foreign ministry first warned publicly about these offers on 24 September. That day Foreign Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó raised the issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting in New York during the UN General Assembly.

On 6 October two vice-ministers handed Russia’s ambassador, Alexey Seredin, the files on 20 Dominicans formally identified by their families. By Friday 9 October Bisonó said his ministry had 22 complaints and requests, some from relatives and some from men who had come back.

Bisonó warned that the state’s room to act is limited when contracts were signed between private parties. In some cases, he said, relatives need a power of attorney before officials can act on behalf of a family member abroad.

On 14 October Labour Minister Eddy Olivares Ortega, a vice-president of the governing Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) of President Luis Abinader, added his own warning. He said the country has no bilateral labour migration agreement with Russia, though that alone does not make every individual contract abroad illegal.

Olivares listed three warning signs: extraordinary pay without clear duties or employer, unjustified fees in advance, and middlemen whose identity cannot be confirmed. He also urged people not to hand passports to intermediaries or sign contracts they do not fully understand.

What It Means for You

For Dominican families in the United States, the practical step is to check an offer before anyone books a flight. The Labour Ministry in Santo Domingo reviews foreign job offers, and the foreign ministry handles the cases of people already in Russia.

The foreign ministry’s citizen protection desk can be reached on (809) 987-7001, extensions 7595, 7597 and 7100. The Dominican embassy in Moscow also takes calls and e-mails from nationals in Russia who need help.

The warning signs look similar wherever the offer comes from: high pay, vague duties, upfront fees, unknown middlemen and a contract in Russian. Peru’s case adds two more, namely guard work at a military base and promises that the worker will never see combat.

For Washington, the cases show Russian recruitment reaching partners in its own neighbourhood. Bisonó said other governments in the region have also warned their citizens, so the problem is not confined to one country.

What Is Not Known

It is not known how many Dominicans are in Russia, or how many signed contracts knowing they would serve in the military. The figure of 22 is a count of complaints and requests, not of confirmed recruits.

Dominican officials have not said who recruited the men or whether prosecutors have opened a case. Russia has not said publicly whether it will release any of them from their contracts.

Earlier coverage is in Dominican Republic Seeks 22 Citizens in Russia’s War and Peru Seeks 18-Month Jail for Alleged Russia Recruiter. Wider context is in Dominican Republic Geopolitics 2026, US, China, Gulf, Dominican Republic’s Role in Latin America Explained and our Santo Domingo city page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Russia war recruitment scams?

They are offers of civilian work in Russia, such as construction, security or technical jobs, that end in military contracts. Rights groups say some recruits know what they are joining, while others are deceived or pressured.

How many Dominicans are affected?

The foreign ministry handed Russia files on 20 Dominicans formally identified by their families on 6 October. By 9 October it had 22 complaints and requests, but the total number in Russia is not known.

Is it illegal for Dominicans to take a job in Russia?

The Labour Minister said the lack of a bilateral labour deal with Russia does not by itself make every individual contract illegal. Hiding the true nature of a job or sending someone without telling them the risks can, however, seriously violate their rights.

What warning signs should families watch for?

Officials point to extraordinary pay with vague duties, demands for upfront fees and middlemen whose identity cannot be checked. Peruvian prosecutors describe two more: offers of guard work at a military base and promises that the worker will not reach the front.

Where can Dominican families get help?

The Labour Ministry checks foreign job offers before people travel, and the foreign ministry assists nationals already in Russia. Its citizen protection desk is on (809) 987-7001, extensions 7595, 7597 and 7100.

Sources: Ministerio de Trabajo, 14 October 2026 (mt.gob.do); MIREX, 25 September 2026 (mirex.gob.do); MIREX, 7 October 2026 (mirex.gob.do); Ministerio Público del Perú, 1 October 2026 (gob.pe); FIDH, 29 April 2026 (fidh.org); Listín Diario, 9 October 2026 (listindiario.com); Hoy, 9 October 2026 (hoy.com.do); Hoy, 11 October 2026 (hoy.com.do); El Día, 5 October 2026 (eldia.com.do); Correo, 11 October 2026 (diariocorreo.pe); MIREX, ambassador’s credentials 2025 (mirex.gob.do).

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

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