Four Nepali nationals who claim they were fraudulently tricked into joining the Russian army as fighters, have pleaded with the Indian government to rescue them. The four have been identified as Sanjay, Ram, Kumar and Santosh.
Dressed in combat attire, the soldiers said they were fraudulently recruited by agents and now seek repatriation to their home country. Underlining the robust relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu, they appealed for India’s support. “We are not being heard by the Embassy of Nepal (in Moscow). Nepal is not helping us. We want to seek help from our neighbouring country, India,” one of the men said.
“Three Indian brothers were fighting alongside us, but they have been rescued by India,” the Nepali men said. “Nepal’s embassy is not able to help us, that’s why we are appealing to the Indian government. Both countries share friendly ties. Your country has a powerful embassy. …There were 30 of us, now only 5 remain,” they added.
For the past few months, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry has sent two back-to-back diplomatic notes to Moscow seeking details on the status of the Nepali nationals serving in the Russian Army. It has been asking Russia to send back hundreds of its nationals who were recruited to fight against Ukraine and repatriate the bodies of those who died in the conflict.
The Nepali citizens said they were duped by an agent who promised them to offer the role of ‘helper’ in the Russian Army. “The agent sent us here (Russia) by lying to us, and now we are facing a lot of difficulties. We were told that we had to work as helpers in the Russian Army, but now we have to fight in the war,” the man said.
The plea from the Nepali men came after reports emerged that Indian men were being sent to Russia under the pretext of jobs but were forced to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war. A video of seven Indian men had emerged where they accused that they were forced to fight after being arrested by the Russian army. One of the men claimed that they were made to sign an agreement and were offered work as cooks and drivers.
The appeal from the Nepali men comes as New Delhi said it was working to secure the release of around 20 Indian nationals who were “stuck” in the Russian army. Meanwhile, Indian authorities last week detained members of a “trafficking” network sending Indian nationals to Russia, after raiding several travel agents.
Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that New Delhi has strongly taken up with Moscow the matter concerning about 35 people who were sent to Russia in the dubious scheme. “Several Indian nationals have been duped to work in the Russian army. We have strongly taken up the matter for the early discharge of such Indian nationals, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a presser.
“Strong action has been initiated against agents who recruited them on false pretexts,” he added. At least two men who went to Russia expecting to work as “helpers” in the army have died while fighting at the front.
