Russian troops on a tank deployed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (Representative photo via X)
New Delhi: The Russian embassy in New Delhi has issued a statement addressing the involvement of Indian nationals in the Russian military operations in Ukraine. This comes amid growing concerns and diplomatic discussions between Moscow and New Delhi regarding the status and safety of these individuals.
In its statement, on Saturday, the embassy said the Russian defence ministry has ceased admitting citizens from several countries, including India, into its armed forces since April. This decision follows reports of Indian nationals voluntarily joining or duped into joining the Russian military to participate in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine which caused nationwide concerns in India, as India Sentinels had reported in February.
It may be recalled that at that time, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (foreign ministry) had released a statement labelling the reports of Indians being duped to join the Russian military as “inaccurate” and urged Russian authorities to discharge the recruited Indians.
In its statement, the Russian embassy also expressed its condolences to the Indian government and the families of those who have lost their lives while serving in the Russian military. Acknowledging the “unfortunate” casualties among Indian nationals while fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, it assured that all contractual obligations and compensation payments would be fulfilled in full measure.
The Russian authorities are reportedly working closely with their Indian counterparts to facilitate the early identification and discharge of Indian nationals who have been recruited. The embassy emphasized that all recruitments were voluntary and denied any involvement in fraudulent schemes or public campaigns to lure Indians into military service.
India’s foreign minister, S Jaishankar, recently informed the Lok Sabha that 91 Indian nationals had been recruited into the Russian army, with eight fatalities reported. Fourteen individuals have been discharged and returned to India, while 69 remain in Russia awaiting release.
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, also reportedly raised this issue with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, during his visit to Moscow last month, receiving assurances that the remaining Indian nationals would be discharged soon.
