Call Sign Condor: Latino Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine

About Call Sign Condor: Latino Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine

Why would someone decide to risk their life for a country that is not their own? What might they be searching for? Call Sign Condor is a podcast about the thousands of Latin American soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine — for Ukraine. Through the stories of our protagonist, Condor, and his fellow soldiers, this four-part series takes us inside the lives of Latin American men and women who’ve been fighting — some of them for years — in the war in Ukraine. Through their experiences of fear, loss, and belonging — even falling in love — host Carolina Chimoy explores what brought these soldiers to the front, how they’ve experienced the war, and what they've found there. From LA Times Studios and DW, in collaboration with Futuro Studios, Call Sign Condor launches September 23. ABOUT THE HOST: Carolina Chimoy is an international correspondent at DW’s headquarters in Berlin, currently covering the war in Ukraine. She previously served as DW’s U.S. correspondent in Washington, D.C., reporting on the White House, national security, and transatlantic relations. Over the course of her career, Carolina has reported extensively from across Latin America, covering presidential elections in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, as well as major political developments in the region. For this podcast, after realizing just how many Latinos have come to fight in this war in Ukraine, Carolina has immersed herself in the world of these soldiers. She’s observed not only how they live with a war that is not their own, but also how they have adapted to Ukrainian society, its climate and its culture. Through Condor and other soldiers’ personal stories, she takes us into the reality of the trenches, but also into deeply human moments of relief and even happiness each has found. At the same time, she shows how these soldiers are also changing the lives of Ukrainians in their own country.

Publisher

DW, LA Times Studios, Futuro Studios

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Sept 2026

Latest episode

27 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Oct 2026

   Bonus: Russian recruitment and sabotage

   Over the last several years, as the war with Russia has intensified, Ukraine has increased its efforts to recruit soldiers from foreign countries, largely from those in Latin America, like Colombia. Thousands of Latino soldiers have enlisted and, if you listen to all four episodes of Call Sign Condor, you’ll meet several of them. Russia also recruits foreign soldiers for its army — mostly from North Korea and Kenya, but also from Latin America. But the Russians are not only deploying these recruits to the frontlines. The military recruits people to commit acts of sabotage against Ukrainians and others. Here’s the thing though — in many cases, these recruits do not even realize that they are working for Russia. This is the subject of a new documentary from DW, Salsa and Sabotage. The host of Call Sign Condor, Carolina Chimoy, sits down with the journalists behind the doc, Julett Pineda and Mathias Bölinger, to learn more. You can also watch the interview on YouTube. Here are the links to the DW investigation Salsa and Sabotage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Arvv01xuv8 https://www.dw.com/en/cuban-dance-teacher-ordered-eu-sabotage-attacks-from-russia/a-79225946

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   4. Looking for peace in Ukraine

   There are many reasons Latin American soldiers have joined Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Money is one. Soldiers earn a decent salary, especially in the trenches. But, for many, the reasons go far beyond financial motives. Some are searching for a future, a better life. Others are looking for respect, admiration, and a way to escape the realities of life in Latin America. For some, the reasons lie much further back, in their own pasts. In this final episode of Call Sign Condor, we learn what really brought our protagonist, Condor, to Ukraine. Host: Carolina Chimoy

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   3. Love and war in Ukraine

   Panama does a favor for a fellow soldier and, inadvertently, meets a Ukrainian woman with whom he falls in love. As he gets to know her family, he becomes immersed in Ukrainian culture, language, and traditions. Meanwhile, a translator develops deep bonds with the Latino soldiers he works with, and a commander with the Ukrainian army says he would be nothing without his Latino “Stormtroopers”. As the war drags on, a mutual respect and appreciation grows between the Ukrainian people and many of these men and women from Latin America. For the soldiers, Ukraine is no longer just a faraway place — it has become their home. And many soldiers say they want to remain in the country even after the war ends. Host: Carolina Chimoy

4. 

   30 Sept 2026

   2. Life in the trenches

   Condor arrives in Ukraine knowing no one and unable to speak or read the language. Despite never having held a rifle before, he enlists in the Ukrainian army. He signs a contract, goes through his first military training, and heads to line zero: the frontline in eastern Ukraine, facing the enemy. In this second episode of Call Sign Condor, our protagonist meets Panama, another Latin American soldier, in the trenches. Together, they share a brush with death, and experience the war in ways that will change their lives forever. Host: Carolina Chimoy

5. 

   23 Sept 2026

   1. 'Dad, I’m going to Ukraine'

   We meet Condor, which is not his real name. It’s his military call sign. Condor was an IT specialist back home but, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he felt an unexplainable pull to join the fight alongside Ukrainian soldiers. It’s a decision that shocked his friends and his family. He’s now been in the country for three years, and even he still struggles sometimes to understand why he enlisted. Condor is among the thousands of Latin American soldiers who have joined Ukraine’s fight against Russia. He and his comrades spend weeks in the trenches, rifle in hand, prepared to kill — and to be killed. Their reasons for going vary, but through Condor’s story we gain insight into why these men and women leave everything behind, and travel to a country far away to fight in a war that is not their own. From LA Times Studios and DW, in collaboration with Futuro Studios, this four-part series is available in English and Spanish. To listen in Spanish: https://pod.link/6808384868 Host: Carolina Chimoy

6. 

   3 Sept 2026

   Introducing: Call Sign Condor: Latino Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine

   Why would someone decide to risk their life for a country that is not their own? What might they be searching for? Call Sign Condor is a podcast about the thousands of Latin American soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine — for Ukraine. Through the stories of our protagonist, Condor, and his fellow soldiers, this four-part series takes us inside the lives of Latin American men and women who’ve been fighting — some of them for years — in the war in Ukraine. Through their experiences of fear, loss, and belonging — even falling in love — host Carolina Chimoy explores what brought these soldiers to the front, how they’ve experienced the war, and what they've found there. From LA Times Studios and DW, in collaboration with Futuro Studios, Call Sign Condor launches September 23. ABOUT THE HOST: Carolina Chimoy is an international correspondent at DW’s headquarters in Berlin, currently covering the war in Ukraine. She previously served as DW’s U.S. correspondent in Washington, D.C., reporting on the White House, national security, and transatlantic relations. Over the course of her career, Carolina has reported extensively from across Latin America, covering presidential elections in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, as well as major political developments in the region. For this podcast, after realizing just how many Latinos have come to fight in this war in Ukraine, Carolina has immersed herself in the world of these soldiers. She’s observed not only how they live with a war that is not their own, but also how they have adapted to Ukrainian society, its climate and its culture. Through Condor and other soldiers’ personal stories, she takes us into the reality of the trenches, but also into deeply human moments of relief and even happiness each has found. At the same time, she shows how these soldiers are also changing the lives of Ukrainians in their own country.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

19 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Contact Call Sign Condor: Latino Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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