The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia has reported that up to 16 Bolivians could currently be in Russia after being lured by "job offers or economic promises" managed through unofficial channels, which would have led to their participation in the war between the Kremlin and Ukraine.
"The Chancellery becomes aware of these events from requests for assistance made by relatives of Bolivian citizens who may be in Russia and who express their concern for the situation of their loved ones," stated the Vice Minister of Consular and Institutional Management, Héctor Huanca, in statements reported by the newspaper 'El Deber'.
The vice minister, who put the number of potential affected individuals at 16, explained that, following reports that these citizens had been recruited to intervene in the armed conflict, the Ministry immediately activated consular protection and assistance protocols through the Bolivian Embassy in Moscow, seeking to preserve the confidentiality of each file at the request of the relatives.
In any case, the head of Foreign Affairs stressed that this alleged recruitment would not have occurred through official Russian institutions, but rather that the individuals involved "would have been contacted by alleged intermediaries through job offers or economic promises that did not come from official channels."
According to what was indicated, the affected Bolivians would have traveled voluntarily after signing contracts that are now under investigation and which, ultimately, would have led to their presence on the war front.
For now, the government of La Paz does not have "precise official data on deaths." "We are awaiting a response to an official note that has been issued by the Embassy and in that way we will provide responsible information about the eventual death of any Bolivian," Huanca pointed out.
The vice minister insisted that "all arrangements regarding this matter will be made through official channels" and emphasized that "Bolivia maintains a normal diplomatic relationship with the Russian Federation."
Russia rejects any involvement in alleged recruitment networks
Russian authorities have also commented on this matter, although they did so in response to information disseminated by Bolivian media before the vice minister's public statements.
"As is publicly known, foreign citizens from multiple countries, including Bolivian citizens, participate in the conflict in Ukraine, under different modalities and conditions," stated the Russian Embassy in La Paz in a statement in which it subsequently maintained that "numerous Bolivian citizens had joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine" and "many of them lost their lives."
Along these lines, the diplomatic mission has questioned "why, throughout all these years, the participation of Bolivian citizens in the hostilities unleashed by the regime of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky has not raised comparable questions or attention."
At the same time, pointing to Ukraine, the Russian Embassy has assured that it "categorically dismisses any link of this diplomatic mission with the alleged recruitment of citizens from the Plurinational State of Bolivia to participate in the special military operation and categorically rejects the accusations made in this regard, for lacking any basis."
"Likewise, this Diplomatic Mission unequivocally highlights that it maintains no link with the alleged activities of organizations or individuals allegedly engaged in recruitment for such purposes, nor does it have information about the existence of such structures," the legation added.
In this context, it has indicated that it "is not in a position to provide assistance, advice, or guidance on this matter" to "Bolivian citizens" who have raised inquiries with the Embassy. However, it has expressed its "full willingness to provide, within the scope of its competencies, all relevant collaboration for the clarification of the matter," provided that "the corresponding requests are made through official channels and forwarded through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs" of Bolivia.