July 16, 2026
Bolivia Held a Wake Without Bodies. The Families of Two Men Recruited for Russia's War Are Still Waiting for Answers.
A symbolic wake was held this week in the Radial 17½ neighbourhood of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Photographs of Iván Valdivia, 28, and José María Soleto Ayala, 29 - cousins - sat surrounded by flowers and candles. There were no coffins. There were no remains. The families are still waiting for official confirmation that the two men are dead, and for any indication that their government intends to help bring them home.
Both were reportedly killed while serving on Russia's front line. Neither had set out to be a soldier.
"With Lies They Told Them They Were Going as Bricklayers"
Iván worked as a bricklayer and plumber. He had a wife and a two-year-old daughter. His mother, Tania Valdivia, told Bolivian newspaper El Deber that he and José María "left quietly, without telling the family anything." She added: "Maybe he went to look for a better life so he could help his wife and daughter."
The two cousins left Santa Cruz on April 3. In their first messages home they sent photographs and videos dressed in military uniform alongside what appeared to be Russian soldiers. They said they were fine and showed where their unit was based. In one video circulated before reports of his death, José María spoke directly to the camera: "How's everyone? It's 'Niño', José María, speaking from Russia, from the war. We're here in zona cero."
They had been promised $16,000 for joining a mission. Their families received $3,000 before contact was lost. Deaths were communicated informally, through phone calls - not through any official channel. Bolivia's government has not yet confirmed either death.
A third case, reported separately, involves a 21-year-old from the rural community of Rincón de Palometas in Sara province, who left with his uncle and brother-in-law. His mother, who asked not to be identified out of fear of those who organised the trip, described the same pattern: "With lies they told them they were going as bricklayers, electricians, and to clean rubble from destroyed houses."
Her son told her the day before departing that he was leaving for six months to earn money for the family.
The Route and the Contract
The group from Rincón de Palometas left Santa Cruz on March 9. They travelled overland to São Paulo, Brazil, then continued with stops - including Turkey - before arriving in Moscow. Once in Russia, the story changed. "Mother, they lied to us. I think they're going to take us to the war," the young man told his mother. He said they had been made to sign a one-year contract written in Russian that they did not understand. They were not permitted to photograph the documents. Their phones were confiscated and returned only briefly.
For weeks he was able to send audio messages only - video calls were not allowed. His last message arrived on May 20. "He said goodbye to me. He told me: 'They've sent me to the front, to the war, to the first line.'" She has not heard from him since.
Families Go to the Governor. No One Comes to the Door.
Relatives of those reported dead travelled to the Casa de Gobierno in Santa Cruz on July 15 hoping to meet with Governor Juan Pablo Velasco and request assistance repatriating the bodies. The meeting did not take place.
"We have no response. We are asking Governor Juan Pablo Velasco - if he can receive us personally to explain the situation we are going through," one relative said.
The families said their only prior contact with any authority was through Carlos Sebastián Mamani Cuenca, second secretary of Bolivia's Embassy in Russia. That contact has since gone cold. "Now, with what has come out, they deny having taken people to the Russian army," the relative said.
"We are asking for help - from the authorities, from the president, and from all the relevant institutions - because we do not have the economic resources to travel to Russia to look for the bodies," she added.
Criminal Investigation Opened
Attorney General Róger Mariaca announced an investigation and activated Bolivia's Specialised Prosecutor for Human Trafficking. The National Police also opened an inquiry to establish who recruited the men, how the trips were financed, what contracts were signed, and whether an organised recruitment network is operating inside Bolivia.
The cases already known are unlikely to be isolated. Carlos Calderón Centeno and José Luis André released a video from Russia confirming they survived a mission but were wounded. Juan René Nogales Gonzales, 51, has been reported missing.
For Families and Victims
Losing contact with a relative in Russia is increasingly common and should be treated as urgent. As documented on this site, there are numerous cases of foreign employment seekers being coerced to military service upon arrival to Russia. To find out what happened to your missing relative reach out to the "I Want to Find" project. To safely escape the battlefield contact "I Want to Live" - here is the instruction.