(COLOMBO) – Two retired Sri Lankan army officers including a Major General have been arrested for allegedly recruiting former soldiers to fight on both sides of the Russian-Ukraine war.
The pair was arrested barely hours after the country’s Defence Secretary General (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne vowed to crack down on those behind the mercenary scam.
Officials have found out that former Sri Lankan battle hardened soldiers are been lured to the Russian-Ukraine war with the promise of high wages and extra ordinary perks that includes residency permits in those two countries in exchange for a fee.
An unknown number of former Sri Lankan soldiers are believed to have already been enlisted into that war and there have been at least five reported deaths and several others listed as ‘Missing in Action’ (MIA).
Former Sri Lankan Army Commander Shavendra Silva on Tuesday appealed to former soldiers to maintain their pride and dignity and not to fall prey to these so-called human traffickers and subject the country to disrepute.
Investigators also believe that the recruited mercenaries are sent through a third country-the United Arab Emirates (UAE) being one of them.
