More than 400 Peruvian nationals have been deceived into serving in the Russian military on the Ukrainian front, according to Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with at least 11 confirmed dead, 114 missing, and three captured by Ukrainian forces. Recruiters operating under pseudonyms such as "Falcon" and "Kraken" used WhatsApp to advertise fabricated positions as labourers, security guards, or cooks offering between $4,000 and $5,000 a month — sums far exceeding the average Peruvian youth wage of under €300 a month — before confiscating recruits' passports, identity documents, and phones upon arrival and forcing them to sign military contracts in Russian without translation. Peru's government has secured the repatriation of four citizens so far, launched a human trafficking investigation, and is urging nationals not to accept unsolicited foreign job offers, while families of those trapped are appealing for further diplomatic intervention.