A report by the Financial Times alleges that Colombian drug cartels and illegal armed groups have been sending fighters to Ukraine to gain advanced drone warfare expertise developed during the ongoing conflict with Russia. According to interviews with Colombian volunteers, aid workers, and Ukrainian officials, some individuals with alleged links to organized crime traveled to Ukraine to acquire battlefield experience before returning to Colombia.
Officials at Ukraine’s Foreign Recruiting Centre said individuals identified as having connections to organized crime were removed and sent home. However, aid workers expressed concern that former soldiers, ex-guerrillas, and former paramilitary fighters are learning sophisticated drone operations together, potentially transferring those skills back to Latin America.
The report notes that drones have significantly transformed Colombia’s long-running internal conflict, allowing armed groups to conduct increasingly complex attacks against government forces. Colombia’s Defense Ministry reported that drone strikes by illegal armed groups surged from zero recorded incidents in 2023 to 333 attacks in 2025, reflecting the rapid adoption of unmanned aerial technology.
Outgoing Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that the expanding drone industry has enabled criminal organizations to adapt military-grade tactics, creating new challenges for security forces seeking to maintain aerial superiority. Experts say the reported transfer of battlefield expertise illustrates how innovations developed in major international conflicts can spread globally, influencing organized crime and insurgent operations far beyond the original war zone.
