Mumbai:

One Indian apparently recruited by the Russian army has been killed while another was receiving treatment for injuries at a hospital in Moscow, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

India has “strongly taken up” the matter with Russian authorities in Moscow and with the Russian Embassy in New Delhi while reiterating its demand for the early discharge of remaining Indian nationals serving in the Russian army, the ministry said in a statement.

“We are working with the Russian authorities for early transportation of the mortal remains to India,” the ministry said. “We have also sought the early discharge and repatriation to India of the injured person.” Both came from Kerala, the statement said.

Cops in May arrested four people linked to a network of human traffickers on suspicion of luring young men to Russia with the promise of lucrative jobs or university places only to force them to fight in the war with Ukraine.

After the deaths of Indian nationals last year in the war, New Delhi demanded that there be a verified halt to the recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian army and urged Indians to exercise caution while seeking employment in Russia.

About 45 Indian nationals were discharged from the Russian army and efforts were underway to get a further 50 released, the foreign ministry said in September.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Russian Embassy in India on Saturday denied that Russia had engaged in any “public or obscure campaigns” in “fraudulent schemes” to recruit Indian citizens for military service in the country.

The Russian Embassy in Delhi in a statement said, “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 outlines that 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 statement read.

The Russian Embassy in India also condoled the deaths of Indian nationals while serving in the Russian Army in the war against Ukraine.

It said, “The Embassy expresses deep condolences to the Government of India and the families of the deceased.”

“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 Russian embassy statement read.

The Russian mission said it has received multiple requests from the media to comment on the issue.

“The Russian Embassy in New Delhi has been in receipt of numerous requests from the media to comment on the issue on 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 Russian Embassy said.

Notably, several Indians were allegedly duped into fighting in Russia’s war with Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs.

In July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, took a strong stance on the issue of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army and the Russian government has assured an “early discharge” of these Indians from the army service.

Just recently, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, responding to questions on Indian nationals in the Russian Army informed Parliament that 91 Indian nationals were recruited of whom 14 have been discharged and 69 are awaiting release.

Speaking in Parliament, Jaishankar said that eight indian nationals serving in the Russian forces had unfortunately, passed away.

In April, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), had busted a major human trafficking network running across the country targeting Indian nationals on the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad but allegedly sending them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone.

The CBI stated that these traffickers have been operating as an organised network and were luring Indian nationals through social media channels like YouTube, etc., and also through their local contacts and agents for highly paid jobs in Russia.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)