January 18, 2026 | 09:03 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas confirmed that Muhammad Rio, a former member of the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) of the Aceh Regional Police, will automatically lose his citizenship if he is proven to have joined a foreign military force. Rio is suspected of being a mercenary in Russia. "If it is true that he joined a foreign military force without the President's permission, his citizenship will automatically be lost," Supratman said when contacted on Saturday, January 17, 2026.
According to Andi Agtas, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections could follow up by revoking Rio's passport. Rio is currently suspected of being in the Donbass region, joining the Russian military against Ukraine.
The Head of Public Relations of the Aceh Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Joko Krisdiyanto, stated that Rio sent a WhatsApp message to members of the Provost Unit of the Aceh Regional Police Mobile Brigade Corps and several of his superiors on January 7, 2026. He informed them that he had joined a Russian mercenary force and detailed his salary. "He described the registration process and the salary he received in rubles converted to rupiah," Joko said in a written statement on Saturday, January 17, 2025.
Rio claimed to have received an initial joining bonus of 2 million rubles, equivalent to Rp420 million. He then received a monthly salary of 210,000 rubles, equivalent to Rp42 million.
Rio is recorded as having left his post on December 8, 2025. He has been absent from the office without explanation. Officers have been trying to locate him. The Aceh Regional Police have also issued two summonses, on December 24, 2025, and January 6, 2026.
Rio is recorded as having flown from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China, on December 18, 2025. He then flew to Haikou Meilan International Airport, China, on December 19, 2025. The Aceh Regional Police have obtained several pieces of evidence, including passports and travel ticket purchase records.
According to Joko, Rio had previously received a two-year demotion for adultery and a secret marriage. On May 14, 2025, a hearing of the Indonesian National Police Code of Ethics Commission (KKEP) placed Rio in the Mobile Brigade Headquarters Service Division.
The Aceh Regional Police then held another KKEP hearing regarding Rio's desertion violation. The KKEP hearing was held on January 8-9, 2026, without Rio present. During the hearing, the ethics panel decided to impose a dishonorable discharge on Rio. He was charged under Article 13 Paragraph (1) of Government Regulation Number 1 of 2003 concerning the Dismissal of Police Members in conjunction with Article 4 letters a and e, Article 5 Paragraph (1) letters a, b, and c, and Article 8 letter c number 1 of Indonesian National Police Regulation Number 7 of 2022 concerning the Police Professional Code of Ethics and the Police Code of Ethics Commission.
Read: Aceh Police Officer Reportedly Deserts to Join Russian Mercenaries
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