TNI Commander Denies Reports Regarding Indonesian Mercenaries in Ukraine

TheIndonesia.id - Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), General Agus Subiyanto, on Thursday said that reports of 10 Indonesian nationals fighting as mercenaries in Ukraine were untrue.

"We have coordinated with the Russian embassy, and we can confirm that the information is incorrect," he informed after a meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta, as quoted by Antara.

He emphasized that, in principle, Indonesia does not recognize the concept of mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff (KSAD), General Maruli Simanjuntak, stressed that there is no way for active TNI soldiers to enlist as mercenaries in Ukraine.

"It is impossible for us (TNI soldiers). Note that every officer needs permission even to return home, let alone to go there (Ukraine)," he said after the same meeting.

The TNI, he added, will immediately find out if any of its officers flew abroad since all soldiers are required to participate in a daily morning roll call.

"It is impossible because the TNI is well-organized," he underlined.

On March 15, 2024, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry had said that the rumors of 10 Indonesian mercenaries enlisting in Ukraine required further investigation.

"The information needs to be investigated further," the ministry's spokesperson, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said in Jakarta.

Earlier, the Russian embassy in Jakarta released data received from the Defense Ministry of Russia on foreign mercenaries arriving in Ukraine to join the war against Russia.

According to the data, a total of 13,387 foreign mercenaries have arrived in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, with 5,962 of the total mercenaries reportedly killed in action.

The data also showed that Polish mercenaries dominated the number at 2,960, with half of them dying in the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, 10 mercenaries reportedly came from Indonesia, with four of them killed in action.