Key facts
- Colonel Jose David Chaparro, a Venezuelan, commands the Bolivar Battalion, a drone unit within Ukraine's Security Service.
- The Bolivar Battalion consists of approximately 250 soldiers, predominantly from Colombia.
- Chaparro fled Venezuela between 2013 and 2014 due to political opposition.
- The battalion operates drones and fights in eastern and southern Ukraine.
- Ukraine has implemented reforms to improve the status and integration of foreign volunteers.
- South Americans constitute the largest regional group among foreign volunteers in Ukraine.
Colonel Jose David Chaparro, a Venezuelan who fled political repression, now commands the Bolivar Battalion, a drone unit within Ukraine's Security Service of Ukraine’s Special Operations Center "A" (Alpha). The 59-year-old leads approximately 250 soldiers, most of whom are Colombian, along with other nationalities, in a unit that has become integral to Ukraine's defense efforts.
Chaparro's journey to Ukraine began in 1989 for postgraduate studies, followed by a return to Venezuela where he served in government roles. Disillusioned by the regime's ideology, he resigned and later joined protests against injustices and political repression. Fearing for his safety, he and his family relocated to Ukraine between 2013 and 2014, where he participated in the EuroMaidan Revolution.
Upon Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Chaparro volunteered, leveraging his understanding of the "enemy." In 2023, he founded the Bolivar Battalion, named after Simon Bolivar, and it was integrated into the SBU in 2025. The battalion now operates a range of drones and engages in combat in Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Chaparro emphasizes rigorous training, ensuring soldiers' commitment and survival, with no reported combat deaths since the unit shifted to drone warfare.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on foreign volunteers, with reforms in late 2025 aiming to formalize their status, offering veteran status and a path to citizenship. Military analyst Viktor Kevliuk estimates between 10,000 and 16,000 foreign volunteers serve in Ukraine, with South Americans forming the largest group. Despite their contributions, Kevliuk notes that foreign fighters do not offer a systemic solution to Ukraine's broader personnel crisis, which is partly attributed to combat exhaustion and resistance to conscription among Ukrainians.