Moscow: Russia has decided to discharge and facilitate the return of all Indian nationals working in the Russian Army after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a private dinner hosted by the latter.
Nearly two dozen Indians are believed to have been forced into fighting the war against Ukraine after being tricked by agents into going to the country on the pretext of getting high-paying jobs.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said that at least two Indian nationals who had been recruited by the Russian Army have recently been killed in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Two others had died earlier. At least 50 men were reportedly tricked into joining the Russian Army by agents promising better wages, permanent residency, and a Russian passport.
Following this, the government launched a probe into the illegal recruitment, arresting four people in June. India has also demanded that there be a verified stop to any further recruitment of its nationals by the Russian Army. Indian probe agencies busted a ring involved in trafficking Indians to Russia during its raids and it was found that these firms sent at least 35 Indians to Russia, though an official said it was not clear if all of them were forced to fight in the war.
| After PM Narendra Modi raised the issue, Moscow said that the recruitment was done for purely commercial reasons and they did not want Indians in the Russian Army. Russia's Charge d'affaires Roman Babushkin stated that Moscow never intended for Indians to be part of its Army and that their numbers are insignificant in the broader context of the conflict. "They are there purely for commercial reasons and we did not want to recruit them," he said. |
