Intelligence Suggests Cartel Operatives Using Ukraine As A Training Ground
Mexican and Colombian volunteers in Ukraine linked to cartel warfare back home
Reports from French intelligence suggest that Mexico has quietly warned Ukrainian officials about some of its citizens volunteering in Ukraine's armed forces for reasons unrelated to the war itself. The idea that Mexican or any drug cartels for that matter operate without the blessing and partnership with intelligence aervices is ludicrous. Anyways, these individuals, according to a confidential memo from Mexico’s National Intelligence Center, may be using the conflict as a training ground to gain skills in drone warfare, with the intention of transferring that knowledge to drug cartels back home.
The memo, reportedly sent to Ukraine’s Security Service earlier this summer, highlighted concerns that certain Mexican volunteers joined the International Legion not out of solidarity or ideology, but to acquire expertise in first-person view (FPV) drone operations. These skills have become increasingly important in both modern warfare and cartel violence across Latin America.
In response, Ukrainian authorities began investigating not only the Mexican volunteers but also several Colombians, particularly those linked to a covert unit known as Tactical Group Ethos. This group operates within the International Legion and is believed to have attracted individuals whose backgrounds were either unknown or deliberately obscured.
According to the report, several volunteers focused almost entirely on drone training, avoiding other areas of military instruction. One of the more striking examples was a man known by the callsign Aguila-7, who joined the Legion in March 2024. He claimed to be Salvadoran but was later identified as a Mexican national. Trainers in the city of Lvov noted his advanced technical ability with drone systems, including use of analog transmission, methods for evading electronic detection, and manipulation of thermal blind spots.
Further investigation suggested he may have served in Mexico’s GAFE special forces, a military unit whose former members helped form the violent Los Zetas cartel. His case raised serious questions about the recruitment process and oversight within foreign volunteer units operating under Ukraine’s command.
The investigation has since broadened. European officials told Intelligence Online that at least three former members of Colombia’s FARC rebel group also entered Ukraine under false documents, originating from Panama and Venezuela. These findings point to a broader issue: that the war in Ukraine, beyond its frontline dynamics, may be unintentionally creating a training hub for actors whose goals have nothing to do with Ukraine’s defense, and everything to do with violence elsewhere.
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