Russia asked Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s office on Tuesday for information related to the alleged criminal activities of Russian nationals living in Colombia.
A letter sent from the Russian embassy asked Colombia to investigate the presence of immigrants from the Caucasus Mountain region in southern Russia who are believed to be carrying out a number of illegal activities in Colombia, including kidnapping and the traffic of arms and drugs.
Some of the Russians are also believed to be living in Colombia illegally, particularly in Medellin, Cali, and Cartagena.
“We have information that members of these ethnic groups do not just own legal businesses, but participate, by rule, in drug and weapon trafficking, kidnapping and other crimes,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by Alexander G. Sibelkov, a representative of Russia’s national security apparatus.
The Caucasus Mountain region of Russia contains several ethnic groups with a history of separatist agitation against the government, most notably in Chechnya. Rebels from the region took responsiblity for a terrorist attack on the Moscow subway last month.
However, the letter did not contain any references to Russians in Colombia being responsible for the attacks, nor did the letter mention any collaboration between guerillas in Colombia and the Russians.