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.

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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)

Astana:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said he clearly and strongly raised the issue of Indians stranded in the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov during a bilateral in Kazakhstan’s Asthana.

On whether he raised the stranded Indians issue with Lavrov, Mr Jaishankar told ANI, “Very clearly and strongly… several Indians have been pressed into service with the Russian Army. Only when they come back will we know the full circumstances. But whatever the circumstances are, to us it is unacceptable that Indian citizens find themselves in the army of another country in a warzone. I told him that we seek their cooperation and that they are our friend and partners. We have to find a way so that these people can return to India as quickly and effectively as possible.”

S Jaishankar added that Mr Lavrov appreciated the point and the Indian Foreign Ministry has been speaking to the Russian Defence Ministry in this regard.

“I urged him that we need a much stronger follow-up. I have taken it up and I intend to continue taking it up until all our people there come back,” he said.

Mr Jaishankar also shared his view on the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia and called it a great opportunity for both leaders to sit down and directly talk to each other on the growing economic relationship between the two countries.

“There was a bit of a delay in our annual summits, it is a good tradition, we are two countries which have a strong history of working together. We did value the need for an annual summit. Last year when I went to Moscow, I carried a message from the PM that we are committed to the annual summit and we will do it sooner…it is a regular recurrence. It is a way of taking stock of any relationship…one of the biggest changes has been that our economic relationship with Russia has grown tremendously…at the leadership of level, it will be a great opportunity for PM Modi and (Russian) President Putin to sit down and directly talk to each other,” Mr Jaishankar said.

Around 20 persons were allegedly duped into fighting for the Russian Army in the war against Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs. At least two Indians have died.

The MEA confirmed in April that among the Indian nationals who were working as support staff in the Russian Army, 10 have returned to India.

Earlier this year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), 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.

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

A resident of Kupwara who joined as a security helper with the Russian Army last year. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

“Two Russia-based agents involved in the human-trafficking network that pushed Indians into the Ukraine war zone are under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner,” officials said on March 8.

“The agents allegedly confiscated the passports of Indians arriving in Russia and forced them to fight with the armed forces,” officials said. The network was busted by the CBI on March 7.

“Christina and Moinuddin Chippa, a resident of Rajasthan, are based in Russia and were facilitating the trafficking of Indian youth to Russia by offering them lucrative job opportunities there,” officials said.

“The Central probe agency’s FIR has listed 17 other Visa consultancy companies, their owners and agents spread across India,” they said.

Watch | Two years of Russia-Ukraine war: How Russia and the world are changing

The agency has booked them under Indian Penal Code Sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and human trafficking. The CBI has alleged that the accused persons through their agents trafficked Indian nationals to Russia on the pretext of getting jobs related to the Russian Army, security guards, helpers, better life, and education and a huge amount was charged from these people illegally.

The agents also duped students by providing them admission to dubious private Universities in Russia instead of government or public Universities by offering discounted fees, and visa extensions and ultimately leaving them “at the mercy” of local agents.

Once these aspirants reached Russia their passports were seized by the agents there and they were forced to join the armed forces after combat role training.

“They were being trained in combat roles and provided with Russian Army uniforms and batches. Thereafter, these Indian nationals are being deployed at front bases in the Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their wishes and put their lives in grave danger,” the CBI FIR said. The Central Bureau of Investigation on March 7 had busted the trafficking network.

They said the agency has found 35 instances in which youngsters were taken to Russia after being lured with false promises of high-paying jobs via social media channels and local contacts and agents.

After filing the FIR, the CBI conducted countrywide searches at 13 locations across Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai. “The human-trafficking network of these agents is spread over several States across the country and they are operating in an organised manner,” the spokesperson had said.

The Central probe agency has booked 24×7 RAS Overseas Foundation in Delhi and its director Suyash Mukut, OSD Bros Travels and Visa Services Private Limited in Mumbai and its director Rakesh Pandey, Adventure Visa Services Private Limited in Chandigarh and its director Manjeet Singh and Baba Vlogs Overseas Recruitment Solutions Private Limited in Dubai and its director Faisal Abdul Mutalib Khan alias Baba among others.

“It has been ascertained that some of the victims also suffered grievous injuries in the war zone,” the official had said.

“So far, cash worth more than ₹50 lakh, incriminating documents and electronic records such as laptops, mobiles, desktops and CCTV footage have been seized. Searches are going on. Certain suspects have also been detained for questioning at various locations,” he had added.