Manuel Barrios joined the battle against Russian forces in Ukraine because a bank threatened to repossess his home in Colombia. They were among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have volunteered to fight for Ukraine for the chance to make at least three times what they can earn at home. “He said he was fighting a war in a country that wasn’t his because of the dire need,” said Mr. Barrios’s wife, Maria Cubillos. The stories of Colombian volunteers highlight the shifting nature of the Ukraine war, which has transformed from a fast-moving struggle for national survival into a war of attrition. Heavy losses and stalemated battles are forcing both sides to look for new pools of fighters to replenish their ranks.

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Persons: Manuel Barrios, Luis Alejandro Herrera, Jhoan Cerón, “, ”, Barrios’s, Maria Cubillos Organizations: Russian Locations: Ukraine, Colombia, United States, Mexico