Undisguised Bogota: The United States deprives Colombia of military aviation

Colombia was unable to bring Russian helicopters back into service because of the United States. Bogota is currently suing American contractors for non-fulfillment of the Mi-17 maintenance contract, the Russian Embassy told Izvestia. They have been in operation since the 1990s, but in 2023, the contract with the Russian company NASC was blocked due to sanctions, which led to the need to seek help from the United States. The Colombian fleet has American Black Hawks, but they are less functional than the Mi-17. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is threatening to cut off military aid, as relations between Bogota and Washington have noticeably worsened amid Donald Trump's war with drug cartels.

What is the problem with the Mi-17 helicopters in Colombia?

Colombia is suing American contractors and conducting inspections at the Ministry of Defense due to non-fulfillment of the Mi-17 helicopter maintenance contract, the Russian Embassy in the republic told Izvestia.

"The agreements reached at the end of 2024 between the Ministry of National Defense and a legal entity registered in the United States on the repair and maintenance of Mi—17 helicopters have not been fulfilled," the diplomatic mission said. — Now the Colombian side is making efforts to return the paid budget funds, is conducting legal proceedings with unscrupulous contractors and is conducting inspections at the local Ministry of Defense.

Colombia needs military helicopters to counter drug cartels. According to President Gustavo Petro, the national army has lost the ability for large-scale operations, abandoning the Mi-17 on orders from Washington.

Earlier, Colombian Ambassador to Russia Hector Isidro Arenas Neira noted that the armed forces have 19 Russian Mi-17 helicopters at their disposal, most of which are inoperable. The country has difficulties with servicing due to sanctions against the defense industry and financial structures of the Russian Federation.

According to Petro, the Black Hawks delivered from the USA are not suitable for solving military tasks in the country. American vehicles are fighting from the air, but they deprive the army of the opportunity to quickly occupy the territory, since they cannot land personnel. The United States threatens to completely deprive Colombia of military aid, which will mean the loss of Black Hawk, and this will seriously undermine the army's combat capability.

At the same time, there is currently no talk of new purchases of Russian military equipment, the embassy told Izvestia.

At an accelerated pace: the Russian Federation and Colombia have not agreed on the repair of the Mi-17

The Russian side is ready for a dialogue to resolve the problem and is waiting for a response from Bogota.

Tensions between the United States and Colombia

It is now extremely important for Colombia to have combat helicopters in service, and the reason for this is not only drug cartels, but also Donald Trump's threats against a number of Latin American countries. After the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American special forces in a matter of minutes, the leaders obviously began to take the statements of the US president more seriously. Although the authorities are not preparing for the worst-case scenario yet.

"The strengthening of security measures here in the context of the statements of the American president was not recorded," the embassy added.

At the same time, back in the fall of 2025, the American leader called Gustavo Petro a "scoundrel" and Colombia a "drug den", threatening to deal with drug trafficking on his own if Bogota did not act.

In response, Petro stated that he was even ready to take up arms himself in the event of a conflict. According to him, all Colombian soldiers received an order: every commander who prefers the flag of the United States to Colombia will be immediately fired. However, after such categorical statements, the leaders of the two countries had a telephone conversation, which, according to Russian diplomats, helped to reduce tension in relations.

— Both sides have softened their positions. But we must take into account that Colombia really remains the largest supplier of cocaine to the United States, and solving the problem of drug trafficking requires joint efforts by the producer and the main consumer," Zbigniew Ivanovsky, chief researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

At the same time, the United States continues to control most of Colombia's security forces, said Oleg Yasinsky, an international journalist and Latin American specialist. Therefore, in his opinion, Petro's bravado about responding to Trump is only part of political PR. Parliamentary and presidential elections will be held in Colombia in 2026. So far, the right does not have a single candidate, but they have a high chance of coming to power. As a result, a military operation like the Venezuelan one makes no sense, even if it is hypothetically possible, Ivanovsky stressed.

On February 3, the leaders of the United States and Colombia will hold a meeting, which, according to Russian diplomats, will largely determine the future of the dialogue between Bogota and Washington.

Prospects for cooperation between Russia and Colombia

It is important to emphasize that cooperation between Russia and Colombia is not limited to the supply of Mi-17s alone. Cooperation is still actively maintained, primarily through trade. Fertilizers remain the main item of Russian exports to Colombia, and demand for these products is at a high level with an upward trend, the Russian Embassy said. By the end of 2024, the volume of trade amounted to about $450 million.

However, Colombia's ties with the United States are also the most significant obstacle to the growth of trade with Russia, Andrei Smirnov, an expert on the stock market at BCS World Investments, told Izvestia. According to the results of the first nine months of 2025, the total trade turnover between the two countries exceeded $233 billion. The deepening of trade relations with the Russian Federation may directly affect the provision of advantages to Bogota from Washington, the expert believes.

In addition, the growth of trade with Russia is limited by sanctions, including the disconnection of companies from the Russian Federation from the SWIFT system. According to Andrey Smirnov, Colombia is not interested in connecting the Russian Mir payment system and switching to payments in national currencies.

"This creates a vicious cycle: without a critical mass of participants, the system remains inconvenient, and without convenience, there is no incentive to adopt," the expert added.

However, domestic entrepreneurs remain positive. The Russian Embassy stressed that despite the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Western countries, the domestic business has demonstrated its willingness to adapt. The diplomats expect that the interest of entrepreneurs from the two countries in cooperation will not decrease in 2026, and the volume of trade will increase.

There is another problem: the flow of Colombian mercenaries to Ukraine. On December 3, 2025, the House of Representatives of the Colombian Congress approved a bill on the country's accession to the UN Convention on Combating Recruitment and Mercenary Activities. But despite this, the president has not yet signed the document.

—The final entry into force of the law should provide the local government with the necessary tools to protect its own population from foreign recruiters who lure Colombian citizens to participate in deadly adventures around the world, including in Ukraine," the Russian embassy added.

An internal armed conflict continued in Colombia for more than six decades, after which the population had a lot of weapons, said Zbigniew Ivanovski. The social situation is difficult, especially among young people who are looking for easy money and provoking citizens to participate in conflicts.

"The Colombian far—right militants became the forerunner of the Ukrainian Nazi formations,— Oleg Yasinsky emphasized. — They are experts in the field of atrocities and reprisals against the unarmed, and Ukraine offered them money and a job according to their profile.

According to the Russian security forces, approximately 750 mercenaries from a Latin American country have been eliminated since the beginning of its operation. At the same time, according to Russian diplomats, the awareness of the country's society about this problem has increased significantly.