The Indian government has appealed to Indian citizens not to accept any offer to join the Russian army amid fresh reports of Indian men being lured into joining the Russian military and sent to the front lines.
"We have seen reports about Indian nationals having been recruited recently into the Russian army," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said..
A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "Recently, there have been reports of Indian citizens being recruited in the Russian army. In the last one year, the government has several times underlined the risks and dangers associated with this step and alerted Indian citizens."
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have raised this matter with the Russian authorities both in Delhi and Moscow, urging that this practice be stopped and our citizens be freed."
The Ministry of External Affairs also said that it is in touch with those Indian citizens who are affected by this.
The statement appealed to the Indian citizens, saying, "We once again strongly request all Indian citizens to stay away from any offer to join the Russian army, as this is an extremely dangerous step."
This is not the first instance of Indians being compelled to participate in the war. On July 24, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had informed the Rajya Sabha that 127 Indian nationals had been serving in the Russian armed forces. Following persistent engagement between the Indian and Russian governments, including discussions at the highest levels, the services of 98 of them were discontinued. However, 13 Indians were still part of the Russian forces, with Russia reporting that 12 of them were missing.