Moscow Court Sentences Two Colombians Fighting for Ukraine

Colombian fighters Alexander Ante, 48, and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, 37 were each sentenced to 13 years in prison for serving with Ukrainian forces.

A court in the occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine sentenced Colombian nationals Alexander Ante and Jose Aron Medina Aranda to 13 years in prison for fighting on behalf of Ukraine. The men had reportedly served in 2023 and 2024 and were detained in Venezuela while wearing Ukrainian military uniforms. Russian authorities classified them as “mercenaries,” despite Ukraine formally enlisting foreign fighters. Colombia’s government has noted that many of its citizens have been killed in the conflict since February 2022.