96 have returned to India so far; efforts on to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing Indian nationals; Embassy officials in touch with Russian authorities to bring back the mortal remains of man from Kerala who died in a drone attack last week
The government is aware of at least 126 cases of Indians who joined the Russian army to fight in the war in Ukraine, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (January 17, 2024), indicating their numbers continue to rise despite efforts to stop them.
According to the latest figures released, of the 126 Indian men that the Indian Embassy in Moscow has been intimated about, 96 have returned to India thus far. Of the remainder, 12 have been killed in the conflict, including one from Kerala, who died last week, and one is being treated for injuries at a hospital in Moscow. As many as 16 are believed to be “missing”, as officials said they could not be traced at present.
“Their whereabouts are not known, and the Russian side has categorised them as missing,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, detailing the figures. “We remain engaged with the Russian authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing Indian nationals, as also seeking early release and repatriation of those who remain,” he added.
On the two most recent casualties, Mr. Jaiswal said that the Indian embassy officials were in touch with Russian authorities to ensure that the mortal remains of Binil Babu, a 32-year-old from Thrissur district in Kerala who succumbed to injuries from a drone attack last week, are brought back to India at the earliest. Before he died, Babu was reportedly in contact with the Embassy, and had wanted to return home. His cousin Jain Kurian, 27, is being treated for his injuries, and the MEA said that he would return to India after his discharge from hospital.
The government’s acceptance of the latest figure of 12 deaths indicates that there may have been more Indian casualties in the past few months, despite persistent efforts, including during two meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to resolve the issue.
In August last year, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament that of the 91 Indians known to have been recruited, eight had been killed, and India was seeking the military discharge and return of 69 Indians from the conflict zone. In December, in written responses to parliamentary questions, the MEA further updated the House that “19 Indians now remained in the Russian armed forces”.
In touch with families
The latest information, that the Russian forces have categorised 16 of them as “missing”, is particularly worrying for their family members belonging to a number of States, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Jammu and Kashmir. Officials said the government was in touch with the families, and had compiled the numbers based on those who had reached out to the MEA or the Indian Embassy in Moscow. Many said they had been “lured” into joining the Russian military and promised high salaries as well as a path to a Russian citizenship for their service, and were not being granted permission to leave, which India had raised with Russian officials.
It is unclear how many others might be in the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone, who haven’t reached out to the government to be repatriated back to India. When asked, an official told The Hindu that the figure of 126 was likely to represent “the total” number of recruits. The Hindu had been the first to report on the cases of Indians joining the Russian Army in February 2024.
At least 126 Indians joined Russia Army, 16 ‘missing’: Centre
96 have returned to India so far; efforts on to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing Indian nationals; Embassy officials in touch with Russian authorities to bring back the mortal remains of man from Kerala who died in a drone attack last week
The government is aware of at least 126 cases of Indians who joined the Russian army to fight in the war in Ukraine, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (January 17, 2024), indicating their numbers continue to rise despite efforts to stop them.
According to the latest figures released, of the 126 Indian men that the Indian Embassy in Moscow has been intimated about, 96 have returned to India thus far. Of the remainder, 12 have been killed in the conflict, including one from Kerala, who died last week, and one is being treated for injuries at a hospital in Moscow. As many as 16 are believed to be “missing”, as officials said they could not be traced at present.
“Their whereabouts are not known, and the Russian side has categorised them as missing,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, detailing the figures. “We remain engaged with the Russian authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing Indian nationals, as also seeking early release and repatriation of those who remain,” he added.
On the two most recent casualties, Mr. Jaiswal said that the Indian embassy officials were in touch with Russian authorities to ensure that the mortal remains of Binil Babu, a 32-year-old from Thrissur district in Kerala who succumbed to injuries from a drone attack last week, are brought back to India at the earliest. Before he died, Babu was reportedly in contact with the Embassy, and had wanted to return home. His cousin Jain Kurian, 27, is being treated for his injuries, and the MEA said that he would return to India after his discharge from hospital.
The government’s acceptance of the latest figure of 12 deaths indicates that there may have been more Indian casualties in the past few months, despite persistent efforts, including during two meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to resolve the issue.
In August last year, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament that of the 91 Indians known to have been recruited, eight had been killed, and India was seeking the military discharge and return of 69 Indians from the conflict zone. In December, in written responses to parliamentary questions, the MEA further updated the House that “19 Indians now remained in the Russian armed forces”.
In touch with families
The latest information, that the Russian forces have categorised 16 of them as “missing”, is particularly worrying for their family members belonging to a number of States, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Jammu and Kashmir. Officials said the government was in touch with the families, and had compiled the numbers based on those who had reached out to the MEA or the Indian Embassy in Moscow. Many said they had been “lured” into joining the Russian military and promised high salaries as well as a path to a Russian citizenship for their service, and were not being granted permission to leave, which India had raised with Russian officials.
It is unclear how many others might be in the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone, who haven’t reached out to the government to be repatriated back to India. When asked, an official told The Hindu that the figure of 126 was likely to represent “the total” number of recruits. The Hindu had been the first to report on the cases of Indians joining the Russian Army in February 2024.
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