DISINFO: Brazilian criminal group Comando Vermelho was trained in Ukraine
SUMMARY
A faction of the powerful Comando Vermelho, which clashed with Rio de Janeiro police during last Tuesday’s massive operation, received training in Ukraine. There are reports that the faction travelled to Ukraine to train for this type of attack against the police.
RESPONSE
No evidence is provided to support the claim. This is an attempt to exploit the deadly clash that took place in Rio de Janeiro on 29 October 2025 between Brazilian police and the criminal group Comando Vermelho, which left more than 132 dead, in order to advance anti-Ukraine narratives by associating this country with organised crime. While Ukrainian counterintelligence has detected, denounced and attempted to block the infiltration of drug cartel members among international volunteers fighting on Ukraine’s side to receive training on the use of warfare drones, reports refer only to Mexican and perhaps Colombian groups, not Brazilian.
By framing Ukraine as a country where organised crime groups are trained and which therefore poses a global threat, this disinformation story aims to undermine international support for Ukraine and ultimately reduce the amount of aid it receives for its self-defence against Russia’s brutal invasion.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukraine recruits Brazilian mercenaries who train organised crime in Latin America, that Ukraine recruits murderers and drug traffickers to the army, that Western weapons for Kyiv go to Islamic terrorists and drug cartels, or that weapons supplied to Kyiv are distributed among criminal groups in Europe.