Call Sign Condor: Latino Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine

Bonus: Russian recruitment and sabotage

2026-10-27

Over the last several years, as the war with Russia has intensified, Ukraine has increased its efforts to recruit soldiers from foreign countries, largely from those in Latin America, like Colombia. Thousands of Latino soldiers have enlisted and, if you listen to all four episodes of Call Sign Condor, you’ll meet several of them.  

Russia also recruits foreign soldiers for its army — mostly from North Korea and Kenya, but also from Latin America. But the Russians are not only deploying these recruits to the frontlines. The military recruits people to commit acts of sabotage against Ukrainians and others. Here’s the thing though — in many cases, these recruits do not even realize that they are working for Russia. 

This is the subject of a new documentary from DW, Salsa and Sabotage. The host of Call Sign Condor, Carolina Chimoy, sits down with the journalists behind the doc, Julett Pineda and Mathias Bölinger, to learn more. 

You can also watch the interview on YouTube.

Here are the links to the DW investigation Salsa and Sabotage: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Arvv01xuv8

https://www.dw.com/en/cuban-dance-teacher-ordered-eu-sabotage-attacks-from-russia/a-79225946 

 

Número de episodios

6

Último episodio

2026-10-27

¿Donde puedes escuchar?

Why would someone decide to risk their life for a country that is not their own? What might they be searching for? Call Sign Condor is a podcast about the thousands of Latin American soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine — for Ukraine. Through the stories of our protagonist, Condor, and his fellow soldiers, this four-part series takes us inside the lives of Latin American men and women who’ve been fighting — some of them for years — in the war in Ukraine. Through their experiences of fear, loss, and belonging — even falling in love — host Carolina Chimoy explores what brought these soldiers to the front, how they’ve experienced the war, and what they've found there. From LA Times Studios and DW, in collaboration with Futuro Studios, Call Sign Condor launches September 23.

ABOUT THE HOST:

Carolina Chimoy is an international correspondent at DW’s headquarters in Berlin, currently covering the war in Ukraine. She previously served as DW’s U.S. correspondent in Washington, D.C., reporting on the White House, national security, and transatlantic relations.

Over the course of her career, Carolina has reported extensively from across Latin America, covering presidential elections in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, as well as major political developments in the region.

For this podcast, after realizing just how many Latinos have come to fight in this war in Ukraine, Carolina has immersed herself in the world of these soldiers. She’s observed not only how they live with a war that is not their own, but also how they have adapted to Ukrainian society, its climate and its culture.

Through Condor and other soldiers’ personal stories, she takes us into the reality of the trenches, but also into deeply human moments of relief and even happiness each has found. At the same time, she shows how these soldiers are also changing the lives of Ukrainians in their own country.