New Delhi, Sep 12 (UNI) Forty-five Indian nationals recruited by the Russian Army for fighting on the Ukraine war front have returned home so far, and India is striving for the return of 50-odd Indians who are still with the Russian Army, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.
Answering questions at a media briefing, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that after PM Narendra Modi raised the issue during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in July, some 35 Indians have been discharged and have returned home.
“Before that 10 Indians were discharged, so a total of 45 Indians have been released till now,” he said.
Among the 45 who have returned, six returned to India two days ago, helped by the Indian Embassy in Moscow, and more are set to return, he added.
He said they belonged to different Indian states.
“We believe 50 more are there, and we are trying continuously for their discharge with the Russian authorities,” he said.
So far two Indians who were working with the Russian army are known to have been killed in the Ukraine conflict.
In March, the CBI had “busted a major human trafficking network” that was recruiting Indians for the Russian Army to fight on the Ukraine war front. The Indians were being duped into joining the Russian Army.
