Mexico Investigates Viral Videos Alleging Drug Cartel Members Fighting in Ukraine

Mexico is investigating allegations regarding the alleged presence of drug cartel members in Ukraine to fight on the Ukrainian side against Russia, President Claudia Sheinbaum reported this morning during her daily press conference.

This follows the appearance of a video on social media featuring a man in military uniform with a blue armband—which identifies Ukrainian army soldiers—in which he references the Chapitos cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Carte (CJNG).

"It was presented to the security cabinet, and investigations are underway to see if the videos are real or not," President Sheinbaum commented.

Should the veracity of the videos be proven, President Sheinbaum added that an investigation must be launched into how "Mexicans, in this case potential members of a criminal group, manage to incorporate themselves into a war conflict taking place in Europe."

When asked if the government has any indications regarding the objective of these individuals' presence in Ukraine, she emphasized that it is under investigation, and in any case, if it is confirmed that these individuals were recruited, it must be investigated whether such recruitments were carried out through a private company participating in these conflicts or through a government's army.

So far, the Mexican government has not made contact with the Ukrainian government to address this issue, but if necessary, it would be done through the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, President Sheinbaum noted.

It is worth noting that the Russian government has repeatedly denounced the presence of Latin American mercenaries and Mexican cartel members in Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the Russian military operation, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has publicly called for joining the International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine on social media, and an active multilingual recruitment website also exists.

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