BOGOTA, Columbia (AFP) — Over 250 Colombians have died and almost 1,000 have disappeared while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, the South American country’s foreign ministry reported Thursday.

Colombian nationals are sought in fighting around the world due to their extensive experience of armed combat, and thousands have been pulled into this conflict.

In Ukraine, 162 Colombians had died and 666 had disappeared, while on the Russian side, 94 had perished and 297 were missing, the ministry said.

Deputy migration minister Pedro Agustin Roa urged Colombians to “exercise extreme caution with job offers abroad, particularly those related to military activities.”

For “those who decide to leave the country to take part in international armed conflicts… there are limitations on consular protection and assistance in conflict zones,” he said.

Kyiv defends the legality of enlisting foreigners into its ranks while Moscow denies any links to recruitment networks to aid its invasion.

Families in Colombia have reported the mistreatment of their loved ones on the battlefield.

Trained for decades to confront powerful guerrilla groups and drug cartels in jungles and mountains, Colombian soldiers often struggle to find other forms of employment once they retire.

The United Nations estimates that at least 10,000 Colombian mercenaries are fighting abroad, lured by often false promises of high salaries and security and in many cases under inhumane conditions.

At least 7,000 of them have joined the Russia-Ukraine war, government data published in May showed.