Yogyakarta. Indonesia has revoked the citizenship of a former police officer who deserted his post and later claimed to have joined a Russian mercenary force fighting in Ukraine.

Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said the citizenship of Muhammad Rio, a former member of the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) of the Aceh Police, was automatically annulled after he joined a foreign military without presidential authorization.

“Anyone — whether a Brimob officer or an ordinary civilian — who joins a foreign military without the president’s permission automatically loses their Indonesian citizenship. That is clearly stipulated in the law,” Supratman told reporters in Yogyakarta on Monday.

The decision also applies to Satria Arta Kumbara, a former Indonesian Navy Marine who similarly joined Russian forces as a mercenary in 2025, Supratman said.

Supratman warned that the decision would complicate any attempt by the two former servicemen to return to Indonesia, noting that their Indonesian passports have already been revoked by the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections.

If they wish to regain Indonesian citizenship, Supratman said, they would be required to apply for citizenship from scratch, following the same process as any foreign national. He added that his ministry has received no communication from either Rio or Satria seeking to begin that process.

Rio is known to have left Indonesia without notifying authorities and abandoned his duties as a police officer in Aceh. He was later dismissed dishonorably from the police force for desertion.

His case drew widespread public attention after a video circulated on social media last week in which Rio identified himself as a former police member recruited by Russia’s Wagner Group to take part in combat operations in Ukraine.

“I was specifically recruited by the Wagner Group as a reconnaissance and killing unit. My task is to infiltrate and remain on standby,” he said in a video.

He claimed to be operating in territory recently seized from Ukrainian forces, though he said he did not know the precise location. Rio described harsh winter conditions at the front line, saying he wore white camouflage to blend in with the snow and that explosions had become a daily occurrence.

Explaining his departure from the Indonesian police, Rio apologized to his former colleagues, saying he was seeking new challenges and better income opportunities. He also said he planned to launch a Telegram channel to share updates about his activities in the war zone.

Indonesia’s National Police Headquarters later confirmed that Rio had been dismissed from the force with the final rank of second police brigadier. He had previously faced an internal ethics hearing related to personal conduct issues.