Strongly taken up with Moscow: MEA on Indians as support staff to Russian army

Several Indian nationals have been "duped" to work with the Russian Army, and India has strongly taken up the matter with Moscow for their early discharge, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said strong action has been initiated against agents and unscrupulous elements who recruited the Indians on false pretexts and promises. Jaiswal also said India remains committed to ensuring the early release of its nationals serving as support staff with the Russian Army.

The MEA spokesperson's comments at his weekly media briefing came days after Indian national Mohammed Asfan from Hyderabad, who was reportedly duped into joining Russia's war against Ukraine, was killed.

The Indian Embassy in Moscow on Wednesday confirmed Asfan's death in a post on X without mentioning the reason or circumstances behind his demise. Another Indian, who also had worked as a support staff to the Russian army, died several days back.

The MEA spokesperson said India is trying its best to bring back their mortal remains. He said around 20 people have contacted the Indian government and it is doing its best to locate them.

However, the exact number of Indians working as support staff to the Russian Army is not yet known.

In his remarks, Jaiswal appealed to Indian nationals to not get "swayed" by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian Army, saying it is fraught with danger and risk to life. "Several Indian nationals have been duped to work with the Russian Army. We have strongly taken up the matter with the Russian government for early discharge of such Indian nationals," he said.

The MEA spokesperson said strong action has been initiated against agents and unscrupulous elements who recruited the Indians on "false pretexts and promises".

"The CBI yesterday busted a major human trafficking network conducting searches in several cities and collecting incriminating evidence. A case of human trafficking has been registered against several agents," he said.

"We once again appeal to Indian nationals to not be swayed by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian Army. This is fraught with danger and risk to life," he said.

Jaiswal said India remains committed to ensure early release of the Indian nationals serving as support staff to the Russian Army. "We remain committed to the early release of our nationals serving as support staff with the Russian Army and their eventual return home," he said.

According to media reports, many Indians recruited as security helpers in the Russian military, have been forced to even fight with Russian soldiers in certain areas along Russia's border with Ukraine.