Ankara: Colombian drug cartels and rebel groups are allegedly sending fighters to Ukraine to learn advanced drone warfare techniques before deploying them back home, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Citing interviews with Colombian volunteers, aid workers, and Ukrainian officials, the newspaper revealed that some Colombians who fought alongside Ukrainian forces had ties to organized crime. These illegal armed groups have increasingly sought battlefield expertise developed during the ongoing war with Russia.

According to Anadolu Agency, Taras Palianytsia from Ukraine's Foreign Recruiting Centre stated that individuals with links to organized crime were identified and "sent home." A Colombian aid worker in Ukraine expressed concern over the complex recruitment schemes and the level of specialization being acquired by former paramilitaries, guerrillas, and soldiers who are now learning to operate drones.

The report highlighted that drones have significantly impacted Colombia's long-standing conflict, much like they have reshaped the battlefield in Ukraine. This technological advancement has enabled armed groups to challenge the military's traditional control of the air. Drone strikes by Colombian armed groups surged from none in 2023 to 333 in 2025, according to Colombia's Defense Ministry.

Outgoing Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez told the Financial Times that the explosion of the drone industry has led criminals to adapt the technology for attacks, posing a major challenge to battlefield aerial supremacy. Colombia's military has been engaged in a decades-long battle against drug cartels and guerrilla groups, a conflict that has resulted in an estimated 450,000 deaths between 1958 and 2016.