Ukraine's Colombian soldiers

Ukraine's Colombian soldiers

From jungle guerrilla warfare to frozen trenches: why did they leave and will they ever return? The story of the Colombian soldiers choosing to fight in the war in Ukraine. 'We heard the Ukranian President’s SOS call" says Castaño, a soldier in his early 30s who paid for his own flight from Colombia to fight in the war in Ukraine. He's not the only one, Colombians are said to outnumber any other nationality of those foreigners who have volunteered to fight. They've even promoted a Colombian to the rank of Sergeant so he can help process the huge numbers of Latino recruits who don't speak any Ukrainian. Some soldiers we meet have already made a huge sacrifice for a country that’s not their own and are learning to walk with new prosthetic limbs. But they're not just drawn to Ukraine to help, a range of factors in Colombia have pushed many soldiers to leave, not least low pay and a feeling that a job in the Colombian Army is no longer worth it.

Marco Pereira travels around Ukraine talking to Colombian soldiers to find out why they have chosen to fight in a punishing war so far from home.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

Jaksot(2000)

Ismo Leikola

Ismo Leikola

We follow the Finnish comedian Ismo Leikola—known simply as Ismo—as he performs in both English and Finnish. We explore his distinctive brand of intellectual humour and how he enjoys creating theories...

5 Tammi 26min

The power of nostalgia and a first kiss

The power of nostalgia and a first kiss

Nostalgia. That sentimental feeling of the past. Memory is a powerful thing and we tend to look back on our firsts fondly. Your first phone, your first best friend, your first kiss… But it turns out y...

4 Tammi 23min

Afghanistan's love poetry princess

Afghanistan's love poetry princess

Poetry about love between a man and a woman was banned by the Taliban in September 2025. For many Afghans, poetry is something which is very much a part of everyday life and has often been passed down...

3 Tammi 26min

Astronauts and the future of space exploration

Astronauts and the future of space exploration

The first crew arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) 25 years ago. Since then, almost 300 people from some 20 nations have visited the orbiting laboratory. If you were born after November 2...

3 Tammi 24min

Two families from Sarajevo

Two families from Sarajevo

Born into a Bosnian Muslim family, Salih Hardaga grew up knowing that his family had done a very courageous thing. During the Nazi occupation of Sarajevo, his parents, Mustafa and Zeinaba, sheltered t...

2 Tammi 26min

Kibera Ballerinas

Kibera Ballerinas

Ballet, a centuries-old form of European dance, is flourishing in one of Africa’s largest informal settlements. In Kibera, Kenya, we follow aspiring young dancers as they prepare for their biggest per...

1 Tammi 26min

Four Months in Gaza

Four Months in Gaza

A raw and intimate perspective on the terror, anger, and hope of living through war.As bombs hit ever closer to her home in central Gaza, Hanya Aljamal spots her elderly neighbour tending to his garde...

31 Joulu 202526min

When Christian nationalists come to town

When Christian nationalists come to town

People in Gainesboro, Tennessee, have some new neighbours. A conservative developer has bought land just outside the tiny rural Appalachian town, with the aim of forging an “aligned” community based o...

30 Joulu 202526min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
kolme-kaannekohtaa
i-dont-like-mondays
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
sita
aikalisa
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
kaksi-aitia
rss-murhan-anatomia
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
rss-nikotellen
mamma-mia
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
lahko
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
taskula-trishin