Dominicans warned against being lured by Russia to fight in Ukraine

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AFP) — The Dominican Republic warned its citizens on Friday against fake offers of employment in Russia that are actually used to recruit fighters for the war with Ukraine. The foreign ministry of the Caribbean country told Dominicans to "proceed with caution" if approached about working in Russia, following complaints that some job offers are "linked to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine." It advised people to be particularly careful, "when the transactions are carried out exclusively through digital means or through intermediaries whose identity and credentials cannot be verified." The warning came after a Dominican native, Juan Carlos Avila Espaillat, 28, posted videos on Instagram in which he appears in combat gear, carrying a rifle, along different parts of the Russian front line. His videos have received thousands of likes. "Look how beautiful this field is," he says in one, as he and other troops advance along the edge of a Ukrainian sunflower field. In a later post, Avila Espaillat said he had been injured in the leg after a Ukrainian drone attack and a landmine explosion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia's Vladimir Putin this week of using third-country fighters from 47 countries to prosecute his war against Ukraine. Dominican Foreign Minister Victor Bisono expressed "concern" over the issue to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Citizens of African countries particularly have reported being forcibly conscripted into the Russian army to fight in Ukraine after being lured with promises of jobs in Russia. In Latin America, a Colombian news channel last month reported that Moscow had also recruited former Colombian soldiers as part of its war effort, which Moscow denied. Colombians have also been recruited by the Ukrainian side.