227 Indian nationals have been recruited into the Russian armed forces, of whom 139 have been discharged while 51 have passed away, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday, underlining that New Delhi is in constant discussions with Moscow for the release and repatriation of those who remain.
He made the remarks while responding to an ANI question on Indians serving in the Russian army during a special briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyrgyzstan. “Our embassy in Moscow is monitoring this situation regularly with regard to the release and repatriation of these Indian citizens. And we are in discussions with the Russian side to ensure that any cases that remain are discharged at the earliest so that we can return these people to their families at the earliest,” the Foreign Secretary said.
Providing an update on the number of Indians recruited into the Russian army, Misri said, “At last count, we had information about 227 Indian nationals who had been recruited into the Russian army.
Misri said the issue has been discussed between India and Russia at various levels and on several occasions. “On the release of Indians from the Russian army, the issue of our nationals, our citizens, being recruited into the Russian armed forces has been discussed between India and Russia at various levels on various occasions,” Misri said. “This is an issue that we are in constant discussions with the Russian side,” he said. He said the Indian Embassy in Moscow is regularly monitoring the situation concerning the release and repatriation of Indian nationals.
