New Delhi: In a major diplomatic victory for India, at least 15 youths who were tricked into the Russian Army, were released, Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney said on Monday. According to the leader, among 15, five were from Punjab, and one from Haryana. They were discharged by the Russian Army and are returning home tonight, he said in a social media post on Tuesday late night.
"Fifteen Indian youths, including 4 from Punjab, are being repatriated from Russia after being released from the Russian Army. I have been taking up this issue since March 2024," Sahney wrote on X.
Indian youths in the Russian Army
The matter came to light in January this year after media reported about the tricking of some youths into the Russian Army. Later, the Ministry of External Affairs also confirmed the same but did not provide the exact numbers. However, in Rajya Sabha, EAM S Jaishankar informed the members that some 80-90 Indians were recruited. He said that these youths were duped into fighting for the Russian Army in the war against Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs.
The matter turned into a hot topic in the political spectrum, where the opposition leaders criticised as well as appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar to take up the issue with Russian authorities. In March, Sahney also wrote to PM Modi and urged him to ensure the early repatriation of the Indian nationals.
PM Modi strongly took matter with Putin
When PM Modi visited Moscow in July, he strongly took up the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian side agreed to release all the Indians from their army. Besides, PM Modi, Jaishankar also took up the matter with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov on multiple occasions.
Meanwhile, Sahney on Monday said, that out of the 91 Indians, who have claimed they were inducted into the Russian army against their will, eight have been killed and 15 are being repatriated. Further, he said that the contracts for the rest of the 68 men are being invalidated. He hoped the Indian nationals would return very soon. "I also thank Prime Minister @narendramodi for escalating this with President Putin. We remain committed to ensuring the safe return of the remaining 68 youths. My office is in constant touch with the stranded youth and their families back home," he added.
What did Russian diplomat say about Indians recruited to the Russian Army?
After PM Modi's meeting with Putin, 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 at a media briefing while responding to a question in July in New Delhi.
Babushkin noted that the issue should not be politicised. "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. "They are there purely for commercial reasons and we did not want to recruit them," he said. Babushkin said most of the Indians recruited as support staff are working illegally as they do not have appropriate visas to work.
(With inputs from agency)
