NEW DELHI: While 12 Indian nationals serving in the Russian army have been killed in the ongoing war, 16 others are reported to be missing, the govt said on Friday. In all so far, 126 cases of Indians joining the Russian army have come to light, out of which 96 have been discharged.
Amid India’s efforts to seek early discharge and repatriation of Indians from the Russian govt, another Indian national serving the Russian forces was killed last week. The ministry of external affairs said it remains in constant touch with Russian authorities on the matter.
“Out of the 126 known cases of Indian nationals working in the Russian armed forces, 96 individuals have already been discharged. As per available information, there are 18 Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, currently out of which the whereabouts of 16 individuals are not known and the Russian side has categorised them as missing,” said ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
“We remain engaged with the Russian authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing Indian nationals and for early release and repatriation of all remaining individuals. Twelve Indian nationals serving with the Russian army have died in the conflict,” he added.
During his visit to Russia in July 2024, PM Narendra Modi had strongly reiterated the urgent need for early release of all Indian nationals from the Russian armed forces. External affairs minister S Jaishankar had earlier told Parliament that Indian law enforcement authorities have taken action under relevant provisions of Indian law against those involved in misleading Indian nationals into service in the Russian armed forces.