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Argentine Student Says He Was Misled Into Russian Ranks as Family Files Urgent Appeal for Release

His father has asked Defense Minister Andrei Belousov to grant a humanitarian dispensation, citing his own liver cancer.

Overview

  • - Dante (Gianni) Bettiga, 23, left Ushuaia for Ekaterinburg in February 2024 to study and later accepted an offer that promised administrative work and residency.
  • - After a short training period near Moscow, he was sent to the Donetsk front, where, according to his family, requests to leave were denied.
  • - In a message received Monday, he told his father, “I’m in the line of fire… get me out of here,” pleading to return to Argentina.
  • - Juan Bettiga formally asked Russia’s defense minister to order an immediate dispensation and attached medical records to underscore the humanitarian grounds.
  • - The family reports that limited Argentina–Russia diplomatic channels hinder consular help, and says it has seen no public response from Russian authorities despite outreach to officials and organizations.