New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said it was in touch with at least 50 Indian nationals who wished to end their employment in the Russian Army, after PM Modi raised the matter with Russian authorities during his high-profile visit to Moscow. India scored a major diplomatic victory as Russia agreed for the early discharge of Indians who had been duped to join the Russian Army and fight in Ukraine.
"We are aware of about 50 Indian nationals who currently wish to end their employment in the Russian Armed Forces. These are cases where the individual or his/her family members have approached us for assistance in securing their early discharge. This has been pursued at various levels by us including at the leadership level," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during his regular press briefing.
He further said that Russia responded positively to PM Modi's request for the expeditious return of Indian nationals from the Russian Army and both sides are now working for their early discharge.
Russia promised to ensure early release and return to home of the Indian nationals working in the Russian military as support staff after Prime Minister Narendra Modi "very strongly" raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin. On June 11, India said two Indian nationals, who were recruited by the Russian Army, had recently been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which took the number of such deaths to four.
What did PM Modi discuss with Putin?
It is learnt that PM Modi raised the issue during his informal talks with Putin over dinner at the Russian leader's dacha or country home on Monday evening. Then-Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the two sides will work on how expeditiously the Indians can be brought back home. Last month, the MEA said the issue of Indian nationals serving with the Russian Army remains a matter of "utmost concern" and demanded action from Moscow over it.
"We have mentioned it in the past that while we do not have the precise indication on the specific numbers, we anticipate them to be roughly between 35 to 50 out of which we have managed to bring back 10 of them," he said in an earlier briefing.
Following the deaths of two Indians, the MEA demanded a "verified stop" to further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian Army. In a strongly-worded statement, it said India demanded that there be a "verified stop to any further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian Army and that such activities would not be in "consonance with our partnership".
'We never wanted Indians in Russian Army'
A day after the agreement between Russian authorities and PM Modi, Russia's Charge d'affaires Roman Babushkin said Moscow never wanted the Indians to be part of its Army and their number is insignificant in the context of the conflict. "We are on the same side with the Indian government on the issue... We hope that the issue will be resolved soon," he said on June 10.
"Let us be very clear, we have never wanted Indians to be part of the Russian Army. You would never see any announcement by Russian authorities on this," he said. The Russian diplomat said most of the Indians were recruited under a commercial framework as they wanted to "make money". The number of Indians -- 50, 60 or 100 people -- does not make any significance in terms of the wider conflict.
He said most of them came to Russia on tourist visas. Asked if the families of those killed would be given compensation and Russian citizenship, Babushkin said that it "should happen anyway as per the contractual obligations".
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