New Delhi: A few Indians, including two naval veterans, have written to the Ukrainian embassy in the Indian capital, seeking visa to travel and fight against the Russians as part of the ‘International Legion of Ukraine’.
ThePrint spoke to two Indians who have applied for such a visa, including one of the two naval veterans.
The development comes even as reports say that a 21-year-old Indian student in Ukraine, Sainikhesh Ravichandran, who hails from Tamil Nadu, joined the Ukrainian army. His family reportedly said that he was rejected twice by the Indian Army and had gone to Ukraine to study but ended up picking up arms.
While Ravichandran has joined directly since he was already present in the war-torn country, the Ukrainian government has issued guidelines for those abroad to join.
According to the guidelines, foreigners willing to join the force must first visit the Ukrainian embassy in their country or reach out to them via an email or call. The volunteers will then be provided with information on the gear that they should possess and an interview with the Ukrainian military attaché will be conducted.
ThePrint reached the Ukrainian embassy in India to understand if it plans to issue visas to Indians who have contacted them for fighting the war, and how many have so far applied. A senior Ukrainian diplomat refused to speak on the issue, but said that the country hasn’t been issuing visas for any purpose for the past few days.
However, according to the Indian government, Indians aren’t allowed to fight in other countries.
In 2015, the Ministry of Home Affairs had submitted an affidavit in the Delhi High Court stating: “No Indian can be allowed to go to a foreign country with an objective of taking part in the internal affairs of that country because it would adversely impact friendly relations with foreign countries and allowing any Indian to go to another country to take part in a conflict (which amounts to taking part in terrorist activity) would lead to the allegation that the Indian government is promoting terrorism in other countries.”
Also read: Around 12,000 Russian forces killed since military operation started: Ukraine
What the volunteers say
Speaking to ThePrint, a naval veteran who has applied said he had met with the Ukrainian defence attache last week in New Delhi.
According to the retired officer, he went to the embassy where expressed his desire to join the ‘International Legion of Ukraine’, an initiative of the Ukrainian defence ministry seeking foreign sympathisers to join the war.
He was told that the embassy will get back but he is yet to get a response.
ThePrint spoke to another young executive with a private company who has also applied with the Ukrainian embassy. However, he is yet to hear back from the Ukrainian embassy. His application was made through email.
Indians have fought abroad earlier
This isn’t the first time when Indians have fought abroad in a personal capacity, or sought to do so.
In 2013, India Today had reported that hundreds of Indian mercenaries, lured by devious Indian agents, were fighting for an alien cause in Lebanon. Many of them were actually labourers who picked up arms because they were paid better.
In Afghanistan, several Indians worked with American contractors in various capacities. Contractors are a term used for individuals and companies that outsource a lot of military work.
In the US, some Indians have joined the American military under a programme, which helps them get US citizenship faster than what it would take through a normal process. The Indians recruited into the US military are not for actual combat but mostly for their technical qualifications.
Also read: Russia, Ukraine open evacuation corridor out of Sumy, all 694 Indian students leave