Indonesian Recruited as a Russian Army "Logistics Worker" Died at the Front

Rendi Aprianto, a 30-year-old Indonesian from Air Tawak, Ranai Darat village in Natuna Regency, Riau Islands Province, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike after joining Russia's armed forces, according to a video report published by Indonesia's Tribun Gorontalo on YouTube. His body has not been evacuated. The report by Tribun Gorontalo was published on YouTube:

Told It Was Logistics Work

Rus Kamal said he understood his son had gone to Russia to work delivering logistics for the Russian military, and that the family learned the job was tied to military activity after Rendi's death. According to Rus Kamal, Rendi was recruited through an agent for the logistics posting. Enianti said Rendi had been living away from home since 2022, most recently working as an electrical installation technician in the Philippines, before he went in Russia.

Her last contact with him was on September 18, 2026. At the time, she said, Rendi told the family not to worry too much even if they lost touch with him for a while, because he was about to be sent to the front line: "Mak, tak usah risau" - "Mom, don't worry," he told her, adding that he might be hard to reach once he reached the front.

See also: Indonesia's ambassador to Russia warns citizens against Russian recruitment

A Warning to Other Families

Job offers that route through informal agents and describe Russian military work as "logistics," "support," or other non-combat roles have repeatedly turned out to mean deployment to the front line, as in Rendi's case. Indonesians and any other foreign nationals can reach out to Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project to safely escape the desception.