New Delhi: The plan to repatriate Indian nationals who ended up fighting in the Ukraine war after falling for Russian job scams is in the “final stages”, diplomatic sources have confirmed to ThePrint.
The matter was raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the former’s ongoing visit to Moscow — his first official bilateral visit overseas since assuming a third term.
The two leaders will hold high-level talks with delegations on Tuesday as part of the annual summit between both countries, which has resumed after a nearly three-year gap.
Modi is in Russia for a two-day visit from 8-9 July.
ThePrint had reported that Russian and Indian foreign ministries have been in regular communication to discuss a proposal to return Indian nationals stuck on the frontlines and that a plan of action was being formulated.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also raised this issue when he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on 3 July. It was communicated as a “strong concern” from the Indian side.
Diplomatic sources clarified there were no foreign soldiers in the Russian Army “officially”. Those present in the war zone, from countries like India and Nepal, entered on tourism and business visas after falling for fraudulent recruitment schemes, sources said.
Four Indians have died in the Russia-Ukraine war so far. India has maintained that it was “pressing hard with Russia” for the early discharge of the remaining Indians. There are an estimated 40 to 50 Indians stuck in the conflict. India has also demanded a halt to any further recruitment of its nationals by the Russian army. ThePrint had also reported earlier that the issue has potential links to human trafficking and therefore identifying Indian nationals in the Russian army is a task in itself.
Also read: Nurturing ties with time-tested friend & China factor — strategic importance of Modi’s Russia visit
Two new consulates
India will be opening two consulates in Russia, in addition to the existing two in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok. The new missions will be in the southwest city of Kazan and Yekaterinburg, a city east of the Ural Mountains.
This will bring the total number of Indian missions in Russia, including the embassy in Moscow, to five.
On Tuesday, Modi addressed the Indian diaspora in the Russian capital, and spoke about New Delhi’s rising profile on the world stage while also announcing the opening of the new consulates.
Strengthening bonds with our own!
PM @narendramodi interacted with the Indian community in Russia today.
PM shared his thoughts on 🇮🇳’s rising global profile and its perception as a ‘Vishwa Bandhu’. He appreciated the community for being a strong pillar of bilateral ties… pic.twitter.com/YIp86g9VIj
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2024
“The friendship with Russia is something we greatly cherish,” the prime minister said while addressing the diaspora event.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Bring them home, say kin of 2 Kashmiri men stuck in Russia after falling for job scam