Six Indians who were discharged from the Russian Army
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

At least six Indians enlisted with the Russian Army have been released from their camps on Russia-Ukraine border, months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue “personally” with President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow in July.

Mohammad Sufiyan (24), a resident of Narayanpet in Telangana, who was released from a Russian camp, told The Hindu on phone from Moscow that he and five others were waiting to return to India after the completion of paperwork at the Indian Embassy.

Vikramjit Sahney, Rajya Sabha member, however, said 15 Indian youths, including four from Punjab, were being repatriated from Russia after being released from the Army.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha on August 9 that 91 Indians were recruited in the Russian Army in the past nine months, eight of them were killed and 69 Indians awaited release.

‘In red zone’

“We were in the red zone, two km away from the battlefield on Ukraine border. Our job was to ferry the dead bodies. There was constant bombing and firing. The bunkers they provided us to hide was so small that it was difficult to breathe,” said Mr. Sufiyan, who was allegedly tricked into joining the Russian Army after being offered the job of a security helper.

Sameer Ahmad (25), a resident of Kalaburgi in Karnataka who was also released said it would take few days for them to reach India. “It took us 36 hours to reach our base camp from the border. Our contracts were cancelled and now we have reached Moscow on our own,” said Mr. Ahmad. He said their issue was first raised by AIMIM member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi who pursued the issue with Mr. Jaishankar in January. 

The other four who were discharged are Abdul Nayeem (28), Syed Ilyas Hussain (24) from Kalaburgi in Karnataka, Azad Yousuf Kumar (32) from Jammu and Kashmir and Kamal Singh (40) from Punjab.

The Hindu reported first on February 20 that Indians who travelled to Russia on tourist visas were offered jobs as security helpers but were forced to fight alongside the Russian military on the Ukraine border.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence near Moscow, Russia on July 8, 2024
| Photo Credit: via Reuters

In what will be relief for the families of men recruited into the Russian military to serve at the warfront with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request, made at a private dinner on Monday, to discharge those wishing to return to India. According to sources privy to the decision, Mr. Putin has given instructions to this effect upon Mr. Modi’s “direct intervention”.

“We expect the release to take place within weeks from various places where they are serving or deployed,” sources told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity.

Also Read: PM Modi in Russia LIVE updates

It is unclear whether there will be a public announcement about the order and whether it will find mention in the joint statement, that comes after weeks of diplomatic discussions, and the issue being raised by the Indian Embassy in Moscow as well as by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana last week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold formal talks with President Putin and visit an exhibition on nuclear cooperation later on Tuesday.

Increasing pressure

The demand for the discharge of dozens of soldiers who claim they were recruited by the Russian military after being lured by agents on false promises has been increasing pressure on the government for several months. After The Hindu first reported on the demand that was raised by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as some men from his constituency had reached out, the Ministry of External Affairs accepted that there was a problem amongst a “few” such cases.

However, subsequently it has emerged that there are at least 50 Indian men serving at war front, of which four have been killed.

Also Read: Death of Indians in Russia-Ukraine war: Status and accountability of mercenaries in international law | Explained

In parliament last week, Mr. Owaisi had referred to Indians who were not being prevented by the government to travel to conflict zones in Russia and Israel as “cannon fodder”. The MEA has said that about 9-10 who reached out directly to the Embassy have been returned to India, after the Embassy’s intervention with the Kremlin. The Hindu has learnt that several others had already received their discharge papers, but were awaiting a formal release from the war front by their commanding officers.

The Russian government has not commented on the issue thus far, but official sources explained that the recruitment of foreign soldiers is permitted under law and conducted after “thorough mental and physical” checks. Recruits from Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and African countries are all believed to have been trained for a few weeks and deployed similarly to the Indian recruits. The Nepali government has also made similar requests to the Kremlin and taken up the issue in Kathmandu and Moscow.

Special gesture

The decision by the Russian President is seen as a special gesture made for India given traditional ties, as well as his personal rapport with PM Modi, that was on display at a private dinner he threw for Mr. Modi at his Dacha on the outskirts of Moscow on Monday. The two men embraced as they met, and Mr. Putin who congratulated PM Modi on his third term in office, then personally drove Mr. Modi in a golf cart around his estate, and took him on a tour.

India dismisses U.S. concerns

The optics of the visit has raised eyebrows in Washington, where President Joseph Biden is hosting NATO leaders and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a special summit on Tuesday, and the State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller, when asked said that the US has raised its “concerns” about India’s relationship with Russia.

When asked, government sources rejected the US’s concerns on the issue.

“India has always called for respecting the UN charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the official sources said. As The has reported, PM Modi is expected to stress with President Putin that there is “no solution on the battlefield” to the conflict and that “dialogue and diplomacy” are the only way forward.

(With inputs from Vijaita Singh)