On Thursday, the Indian government cautioned its citizens from accepting invitations to serve in the Russian military after reports that men on business and student visas were being tricked into joining front-line combat units in the Ukraine war. The government has been in touch with Russian authorities over Indians being recruited during these reports.
India has long expressed concern that its citizens are being enticed to join the Russian military with Russian officials, most recently in a visit last month by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Moscow. Although Russia said in April 2024 that it had suspended recruiting Indians into its military forces, still there are reports of Indians fighting within Russian units in Ukraine.
"We again firmly advise all Indian citizens to avoid any proposals to join the Russian Army as it is a path riddled with risk," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in reaction to the recent news of Indian recruitment into the Russian army.
Jaiswal stressed that the government has consistently pointed to the "risks and dangers involved in this action" over the last one year and cautioned Indian citizens accordingly. "We have also raised the issue with Russian authorities, both here in Delhi and Moscow, requesting that this practice be stopped and that our nationals be let go.". We are also in contact with the family members of the Indian citizens who were affected," he said, without mentioning how many Indians had just been recruited.
Sources report that over a dozen Indian men who had gone to Russia on business and student visas were forced into joining Russian Army contingents in Selydove, a town in Ukraine's Donetsk province that was occupied by Russian forces in October 2024. The majority of them are from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Haryana.
Some of them were deployed to the front lines as recently as Wednesday. Several have reported to media that they were recruited initially as construction workers but were lured by an agent into joining the Russian Army. They said they were promised good pay and, following a short 15-day basic training in a military camp, were sent to the front.
The reports further indicated that a few Indians were killed or reported missing in the area, although these reports could not be independently confirmed.
The number of Indian nationals enlisted in the Russian Army in recent months cannot be ascertained.
As per the External Affairs Ministry, previously 126 Indians had been enrolled in the Russian army, out of which 12 died fighting at the front in Ukraine. Ninety-six were sent back home and 16 have been reported missing.
While in Moscow last month, Jaishankar said at an open press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that he had brought up the issue of Indians employed in the Russian Army. "Although many have been released, there are some cases still pending and a few missing persons. We trust that the Russian side will settle these issues expeditiously," he said.
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