The Russian embassy in New Delhi on Saturday said that it is working with India closely for early identification and discharge of Indian nationals who have become involved in the Russian ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
Several Indians caught in the Ukraine war have urged the government to secure their release as they alleged that they were forced to participate militarily in the ongoing 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war, and claimed they were lured to Russia with job and employment opportunities.
“The agencies concerned in both countries work in close coordination for early identification and discharge of Indian nationals who voluntarily contracted for military service in Russia,” the embassy in Moscow said, highlighting that the Indians who became involved in the war in Ukraine did so ‘voluntarily’.
“All contractual obligations and due compensation payments will be fulfilled in full measure,” the Russian embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.
It acknowledged that there have been deaths of Indians who were militarily involved in Ukraine and expressed ‘deep condolences to the Government of India and the families of the deceased’, adding that it has now barred foreign citizens from several nations from becoming militarily involved in the war in Ukraine.
“Since April this year the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has stopped admission of citizens of a number of foreign countries, including India, to military service in the Russian Armed Forces,” it said.
Earlier this week, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said there are a total of 91 cases of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army. He said that there are 69 Indian individuals awaiting release from the Russian army while answering a question in the Lok Sabha.
He also said that eight Indians have passed away and the mortal remains of four have been sent back to India and in two cases — one from Haryana and Punjab — DNA samples have been sent to the Russian side.
In one case from Gujarat, the family wants the body to be cremated in Russia and in another case from Uttar Pradesh, the mortal remains are being brought back, he said.
’Didn’t Engage In Obscure Campaigns’
The Russian embassy ‘outlined’ in its statement that the Russian government did not ‘engage in any public or obscure campaigns, more so in fraudulent schemes to recruit the Indian nationals for military service in Russia’.
However, the government told the lower house of the Parliament that there were many cases where there are indications that the Indian nationals were misled into joining that country’s army, news agency PTI said in a report, while pointing out that Russian government continues to maintain that these individuals voluntarily opted to get involved militarily in Ukraine war.
“We are not necessarily subscribing to that. I think in many cases there are reasons to indicate that our nationals were misled, that they were told that they were going for some other job and then they were deployed with the Russian army,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha earlier this week.
He said that the CBI has registered a criminal case against 19 individuals and entities while evidence has surfaced against 10 human traffickers whose identities the government knows.
Two of the accused were arrested on April 24 and two more on May 7.
“We should not jump the gun and say Russians are not serious on this matter. I think it is important to hold the Russian government to their word. We are here to get back those 69 people because Indian citizens should not be serving in the army of foreign countries,” he said during the Question Hour.
He was responding to queries from AIMIM member Asaduddin Owaisi on action being taken against individuals who are misleading youth to join the Russian army.
Comments
0 comment