New Delhi: At least eight Indians have been killed in Russia, while another 63 are seeking to return home after being recruited into its army under “unclear circumstances”, junior foreign minister Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
“Information available currently indicates that 12 Indian nationals have already left the Russian armed forces while another 63 are seeking early discharge. Eight deaths have been reported where the citizenship of the deceased has been verified as Indian,” said Singh in response to a question submitted by Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Aam Aadmi Party MP from Punjab.
Singh added that financial support had been provided to bring back the mortal remains of four Indians, and the same help would be extended to others if required.
“In addition, the government of the Russian Federation has informed that compensation will be provided to the families of deceased individuals in accordance with the contracts signed by them,” the minister of state said.
According to him, 12 Indian nationals have already left the Russian armed forces. This means a total of at least 83 Indians were recruited into the Russian military, which is currently conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine from February 2022.
Many of those recruited have claimed they were duped into joining the Russian Army. The issue was raised by India at the highest levels, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking it up with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow in July.
The Russian government has offered compensation to the families of Indian nationals who have been killed in the war in accordance with “contractual obligations”, as reported by ThePrint earlier. It is, however, unclear if families of the deceased would be offered Russian citizenship or permanent residency in the country.
On Monday, Ravi Mator from Haryana was confirmed dead by the Indian Embassy in Moscow on the frontlines in Ukraine. The family said they paid Rs 11.5 lakh for Moun to travel to Russia in January 2024 for a transportation job. On arrival, he was told to either face a prison sentence for 10 years or join the armed forces.
The families of two Kashmiri men have told ThePrint that they were tricked into joining the army after being deceived by fraudulent headhunters.
Other than Mator, Tejpal Singh from Amritsar, Mohamed Asfan from Hyderabad, Hemal Ashwinibhai Mangua from Surat were the other three deceased who have been identified.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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