The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday repeated India’s consistent position regarding the recruitment of Indians into the Russian Army, saying the matter has been taken up with the Russian authorities asking them to end the practice and release our nationals at the earliest.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, replying to media queries on Indians recruited into the Russian army, said: “We have seen reports about Indian nationals having been recruited recently into the Russian army. Government has on several occasions over the past one year underlined the risks and dangers inherent in this course of action and cautioned Indian citizens accordingly.”
Randhir Jaiswal’s response comes after The Hindu, citing two Indian nationals, reported that the individuals are caught in the battlefield in Ukraine, where they are being forced to serve on the Russian side. The two recruits claimed there were at least 13 more Indians with them.
All of them went to Moscow on student or visitor visa in the past six months. They were hired by an agent to work as construction workers but ended up in the war zone, the two men said on telephone from Selydove in Ukraine, where they are currently being lodged in a building. Russia claimed Selydove, a key town in the Donetsk region, in November 2024, according to the report in The Hindu.
Jaiswal also underlined that New Delhi has taken up the matter with Russian authorities, both in Delhi and Moscow, asking that this practice be ended and that our nationals be released.” We are also in touch with the families of the affected Indian citizens,” reiterated Jaiswal.
New Delhi has repeatedly called for the release of all Indians serving as support staff, such as cooks and helpers, with Russian military units. This became a key issue for New Delhi following the death of at least nine Indians during Russia’s war with Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too raised the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin at two meetings last year.
