Almost 100 Indians were lured to Russia with offers of work or education, but they were forced to serve in the army.
The death in the war in Ukraine of another Indian citizen, who was lured into the Russian armed forces, forced the Indian authorities to repeat the demand for the return of their citizens home.
The Washington Post reported this.
According to a representative of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, quoted by the publication, on Tuesday, January 14, this issue was discussed with Russian authorities in Moscow, as well as with the Russian embassy in New Delhi.
“We also reiterated our demand for the speedy release of the remaining Indian citizens,” he said.
The publication reports that according to statements by the Indian government and interviews with the families of men who were sent to fight in Ukraine, nearly 100 Indians were lured to Russia with offers of work or education, but they were forced to serve in the army.
For its part, the Kremlin denied any wrongdoing or fraudulent schemes and promised to release the Indians from the Russian armed forces.
Despite close coordination between the two governments, Russia is in no hurry to release mercenaries from India. Fraudulent recruitment into the Russian army has become a recurring point of tension between Moscow and New Delhi over the past year, the newspaper said.
Families of Indian citizens killed in the war said their relatives were recruited into the Russian army by an international network of recruitment agents and social media influencers who promised them high wages for low-skilled work such as driving, cooking, plumbing and electrical repair. Instead, the Russians sent them to fight, the newspaper said.
Two Indians recruited by Russia, who spoke to journalists, said that upon arrival in the war zone, they were forced to sign Russian documents and their passports were confiscated. They stressed that they were sent to fight without sufficient military training.
Last year, when several Indian citizens died in the war in Ukraine, the government in New Delhi secured the release of dozens of men sent to military service, but many of them are still involved in the conflict.
Recall that earlier it was reported that Russia recruited hundreds of Yemenis to fight against Ukraine.
Related topics:
More news
