India says another 27 nationals recruited into Russian Army
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Indian authorities had recently found out that more Indian nationals had joined the Russian military
New Delhi: India said on Friday it has strongly urged Russian authorities to release and repatriate 27 more Indian nationals who were recently recruited into the Russian Army, even as it reiterated its warning that taking up such job offers poses a risk to life.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Indian authorities had recently found out that more Indian nationals had joined the Russian military, with the information coming from the families of the men who had been recruited.
The problem of Indian citizens being lured with lucrative offers of jobs in the Russian military has continued despite Moscow’s assertion that it stopped recruiting Indians into its armed forces in April 2024. Recent reports suggested that more than a dozen Indian men, mostly from Kashmir, Punjab, and Haryana, had been forced to join Russian Army units deployed on the frontlines in the war with Ukraine. Most of these men had travelled to Russia on student and business visas.
Jaiswal told a media briefing that at least 27 Indian nationals are currently serving in the Russian Army. “We have strongly raised this matter with Russian authorities in Moscow and with the Russian embassy in New Delhi and asked for them to be freed as soon as possible,” he said. “We are trying to get them out.”
Also read: Release all Indians serving in Russian military, says India after one more death
Indian authorities are also in close touch with the families of these men.
“We once again strongly urge all Indian nationals to stay away from offers being made to serve in the Russian Army as they are fraught with danger and risk to life,” he said, noting that Indian authorities had issued several advisories in this regard.
The Indian government has repeatedly raised the issue of Indians being tricked into serving in the Russian Army with the top leadership in Moscow, most recently during external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow last month.
Also read: India urges citizens to stay away from offers to join Russian Army
According to official figures, the number of Indians recruited by the Russian military is now more than 150. At least 12 Indians were killed while fighting on the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine, while 96 were discharged by Russian authorities, and another 16 were listed as missing.
During his visit to Moscow last month, Jaishankar said at a media briefing alongside his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that he had raised the issue of Indians serving in the Russian Army. “While many have been released, there are still some pending cases and some missing persons. We hope that the Russian side would expeditiously resolve these matters,” he said.
