The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that, as of this Friday (13), there is news that 23 Brazilians have died in combat and another 44 are missing in the war in Ukraine. Itamaraty compiles data formally passed on by the Russian and Ukrainian governments.
The war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion of the neighboring country and former member of the Soviet Union, completes four years on February 24th. For Russia, the conflict has lasted longer than World War II. Even with intense pressure from Donald Trump’s government for a peace agreement, negotiations for a ceasefire do not progress and end up being interrupted with new drone and missile attacks.
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Attracted by salaries or the chance to be part of a military action, an uncounted number of Brazilians join the Ukrainian forces as volunteers. The foreign country encourages enlistment, with pages in Portuguese and the offer of attractive remuneration. Itamaraty warns of the risks, including legal embarrassment in cases of war crimes.
Legal risks
In a note, the Ministry informed that “those enlisted in foreign forces may be subject to criminal prosecution, not only in international courts, but also in Brazil, based on article 7 of the Penal Code, which provides that illicit acts committed by a Brazilian citizen – even in foreign territory – which, by treaty or international convention, Brazil is obliged to prevent or prevent, are subject to Brazilian law.”
When questioned, Itamaraty did not say whether there was information on any Brazilian who had already faced prosecution as a result of war crimes. Itamaraty also emphasizes that its operations may suffer legal limitations due to contracts signed between Brazilians and the forces for which they enlisted.
The ministry reported, for example, that “there is no obligation on the part of the public authorities to pay for tickets or pay for the return of citizens from abroad.”
