What Ministry of External Affairs said about 27 Indians serving in Russian Army
India has appealed to Russia to release about 27 more Indian citizens from military service.
Efforts are underway for the release 27 Indians currently serving in the Russian Army, the Ministry of External Affairs has revealed.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing, "In recent days, we learned that some more Indian citizens have joined the Russian Army. We learned about this through their families."
He said that the matter has been raised with the Russian government so that our citizens can be released as soon as possible.
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said, "According to our information, approximately 27 Indian citizens are currently serving in the Russian Army. We are trying to rescue them."
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 men who had been recruited.
The problem of Indian citizens being lured with lucrative offers of jobs in the Russian military has continued despite Russia’s assertion that it stopped recruiting Indians in its armed forces in April 2024. Recent reports suggested more more 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.
Previously, the Indian government had appealed to Indian citizens not to accept any offers to join the Russian Army.
Prakash Kumar Pandey