Russia on Saturday emphatically denied any official involvement in recruiting Indian nationals for military service in its ongoing conflict against Ukraine.
In a statement here, the Russian Embassy in New Delhi said the Russian Government has at no point of time been engaged in any public or obscure campaigns, more so in fraudulent schemes to recruit Indian nationals for military service in Russia.
”The Russian Embassy in New Delhi has been in receipt of numerous requests from the media to comment on the issue of Indian citizens in service in the armed forces of the Russian Federation as there have been unfortunate instances of casualties among them in the course of the Special military operation in Ukraine. The Embassy expresses deep condolences to the Government of India and the families of the deceased,” the embassy said.
It said the agencies concerned in both countries work in close coordination for early identification and discharge of Indian nationals who voluntarily contracted for military service in Russia. All contractual obligations and due compensation payments will be fulfilled in full measure.
The embassy said that since April this year, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has stopped the admission of citizens of a number of foreign countries, including India, to military service in the Russian armed forces.
The embassy’s statement came a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that a total of 91 Indian nationals were recruited in the Russian Army of whom 14 have been discharged and eight died while 69 are awaiting release.
He said there are reasons to indicate that the Indian nationals recruited in the Russian Army on false promises were misled, adding that the issue is taken by the government very seriously.