On the front lines of the war in Ukraine, near the front lines of the confrontation with Russia, Ukrainian authorities discovered an unusual problem: several Colombian citizens who had volunteered to fight on the side of Ukraine were suspected of having links to criminal organizations in their country.
According to Ukrainian officials, the individuals were identified, isolated by military units and then returned to Colombia. Taras Palyanitsya, an officer at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Foreign Recruitment Center, told the Financial Times that such cases have raised concerns about the use of modern warfare experience by armed groups outside the Ukrainian conflict. The main concern is related to drone technology, which has changed the way warfare is conducted in Ukraine and is spreading to other conflicts around the world.
According to sources cited by the Financial Times, over the past year there have been reports that members of Colombian armed groups are trying to send fighters to Ukraine to learn how to use modern drone systems and then use that knowledge against the Colombian army. “The recruitment networks are very complex, but what worries me most is the level of expertise they are gaining,” said a Colombian aid worker in Ukraine, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He says former paramilitaries, former guerrillas and former soldiers are gaining experience on the same battlefield, learning new tactics for using drones. Drone technology, which has played a crucial role in the war between Russia and Ukraine, is also transforming Colombia’s long-running internal conflict between state forces, guerrilla groups and drug cartels. For decades, the Colombian army has enjoyed air superiority in operations against armed groups in forested and mountainous areas. But that advantage is being challenged by the increasing use of commercial drones modified for attacks.
“The drone industry has exploded and criminal organizations have adapted this technology for attacks, creating a major challenge to air superiority on the battlefield,” said Colombia’s outgoing Defense Minister Pedro Soares. According to data from the Colombian Defense Ministry, illegal armed organizations carried out 264 drone attacks during 2024-2025. In most cases, cheap commercial equipment modified to transport and drop explosives was used.
The attacks have also claimed casualties among the military. In May, a soldier was killed and six others were injured while patrolling a cocaine-growing area. In April, three soldiers were killed near the border with Ecuador, while a military radar system was hit in Cauca province. In December, a drone attack on a military base killed seven people. One of the technologies that criminal groups are seeking to acquire is FPV (First Person View) drones, which are widely used in the war in Ukraine for direct attacks on targets. A Colombian drone operator fighting in Ukraine said that some recruits linked to criminal organizations are seeking to learn how to use the devices, including encrypted communication methods and the adaptation of explosive charges.
“FPV drones have started to be used in Colombia. What they don’t know yet is how to encrypt the communication between the drone and the operator or how to place explosive charges the way it is done here in Ukraine,” he said from the southern front in the Zaporizhia region. Another concern for authorities is the use of fiber-optic drones, which are harder to jam by electronic warfare systems, as they are controlled via ultra-thin cables instead of radio signals.
This technology was developed during the Russia-Ukraine war and has also been used by other armed groups in various conflicts. To respond to this threat, the Colombian government has announced the creation of a $1.6 billion “anti-drone shield,” which will include signal-jamming systems and tracking devices.
Colombia has a long history of soldiers and veterans taking part in conflicts abroad. The experience gained from decades of internal fighting has led many of them to be recruited for wars in other countries. Colombians have fought in South Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine. According to estimates, up to 500 Colombian citizens have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the full Russian invasion in 2022. Taras Palyanitsya said that Colombian soldiers have been praised by Ukrainian commanders for their ability to adapt to the extreme conditions of war.
“Colombians can learn and adapt very quickly and have shown their worth on the battlefield,” he said. The participation of Colombian citizens in the Ukrainian war has also sparked debate in their own country. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has previously criticized the recruitment of his citizens for foreign wars, claiming that many of them are treated as “cannon fodder” due to economic needs. The Colombian government has increased the salaries of its military and ratified the UN Convention on Mercenaries, aiming to reduce the financial incentive to join foreign forces.
Defense Minister Pedro Suarez called the phenomenon a “sad reality,” linking it to the huge gap between payments offered abroad and the pensions many veterans receive in Colombia. Colombia has been through a decades-long armed conflict that has claimed an estimated 450 lives from 1958 to 2016. The largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), disarmed in 2016, but several factions continue to fight against the state.
Today, armed groups in the country are financed mainly through drug trafficking, illegal mining and extortion. Experts warn that the spread of drone technology could change the balance of power. “The number of drones that these organizations possess could easily overwhelm the defense of any military or civilian target. The armed forces have lost their monopoly on airspace, and this is a very big strategic shift,” said Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group. For Colombian authorities, the new challenge is not only to stop drone attacks, but also to prevent the return of fighters with experience gained in one of the most technological wars of modern times.
