A Dominican Was Wounded by a Drone and a Landmine - One Month After Signing His Russian Military Contract

Juan Carlos Ávila Espaillat, a 28-year-old Dominican from Higüey and father of a young girl, was wounded and several of his teammates were killed in a drone attack, according to a video his brother posted to Instagram on September 22. Diario Libre reported that Ávila had signed a contract with Russia's armed forces roughly a month earlier.

One Month From Contract to Combat

A document obtained by Diario Libre, attributed to Russia's Ministry of Defense and dated August 16, certifies that "AVILA ESPAILLAT JUAN CARLOS," born January 4, 1998, passed a selection process at Moscow's Contract Military Service Selection Point and departed to serve under contract in Russia's armed forces. Ávila had begun posting videos from Russia days earlier - the first dated August 14 - and had gone viral in the weeks since for documenting his decision to fight in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. By September 22, roughly five weeks after the contract date, his brother was reporting that he had already been wounded in combat.

The gap fits a pattern we've documented in other foreign recruits' accounts: Divine Ngum, a Cameroonian recruited into Russia's army with a promise of cleaning work, says he received only about two weeks of training before being handed a weapon and sent to a forest position near the front.

The Drone Attack

His brother, Carlos Ávila, said that Juan Carlos and his unit were on foot when a Ukrainian kamikaze drone attacked the group. Fleeing the strike, Juan Carlos stepped on a landmine and was wounded in one leg. Carlos Ávila said he believes much of the group with his brother died in the attack, including a Colombian he named as Camilo Vargas. The family learned of the incident only after Juan Carlos contacted their mother directly to describe his condition.

Recovering, Not Discharged

Carlos Ávila said his brother was "gravely" wounded by the mine but is now stable and under the care of Russian forces. He still has shrapnel in his leg, is awaiting surgery. Nothing in his brother's account suggests Ávila has been released from his contract - only that his return to combat is on hold.

A Way Out Still Exists

Ávila's case is what a Russian mass-casualty assault tactic looks like from the inside: a recruit thrown into combat within weeks of signing, alongside men from multiple countries, with a large share of his unit reported dead after a single drone strike. Dominicans and other foreign nationals serving in Russia's armed forces who don't want to become the next such casualty can leave the battlefield safely by surrendering to Ukrainian forces through Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project - our FAQ on how to safely surrender to Ukrainian forces walks through how.