He fled Maduro's Venezuela. He now leads Ukraine's South American battalion

He fled Maduro's Venezuela. He now leads Ukraine's South American battalion

Col. Jose David Chaparo, exclamation point "Little," fled Maduro's Venezuela and now commands the Bolivar Battalion, a drone unit within the Security Service of Ukraine's Special Operations Center "A" (Alpha). Three years after its establishment, the unit grew to about 250 soldiers, most of them Colombian.

As Ukraine ramps up its recruitment of foreign volunteers, many from Latin America, Chaparo has become more critical of the approach. His unit offers a window into Ukraine's growing dependence on foreign volunteers, and the challenges involved in the recruitment drive.

Photos: Nastasya Kantorovich Torres/The Kyiv Independent