At least 12 Indian nationals have died while serving the Russian Army in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday.
At a media briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there were a total of 126 Indian nationals working in the Russian armed forces. Of them, 96 have returned to India, having been discharged from the Russian armed forces.
A total of 18 Indian nationals still remain with the Russian forces. The whereabouts of 16 of them are not known. The Russian side has categorised them as ”missing”, the spokesperson said, adding New Delhi is in touch with their families. The spokesperson said India has asked Moscow to release all those Indians still working with the Russian forces and repatriate them as early as possible.
The spokesperson condoled the recent death of Binil Babu from Kerala while serving the Russian Army. ”We have conveyed our condolences to the family. Our embassy is in touch with the Russian authorities so that his mortal remains could come back to India as soon as possible. Another person, who was injured, is receiving treatment in Moscow. Hopefully, he will also be returning to India soon after his treatment is completed,” he added.