The Union government on Friday said that of the 26 Indians whose families had moved the Supreme Court seeking their safe return from Russia, 10 have died while fighting the war in Ukraine, reported Live Law.
Most of them had joined the Russian military voluntarily, the Centre claimed.
In December, the Union government told Parliament that 26 Indian citizens, of the 206 believed to have been recruited into the Russian military, had been killed. Seven Indians were missing, Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh had said.
The external affairs ministry has repeatedly issued advisories warning Indian citizens against joining the Russian military. New Delhi contends that many are duped by unscrupulous agents and are often hired as support staff, such as cooks and helpers, amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
On Friday, a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi was hearing petitions by the family members of 26 Indians who were allegedly forced to fight the war in Ukraine.
The families said that the Indian citizens had gone to Russia in search of jobs, reported Live Law.
During the hearing, the petitioners alleged that the Ministry of External Affairs had not contacted the family members of the Indian citizens who had been forced to fight in Russia’s war.
“They have not collected our DNA sample, we have been trafficked out of the country, they are not even in touch with us, it is not a case of inaction, they are not even in contact with us,” the petitioners alleged.
In response, Additional Solicitor General Aiswharya Bhati said that though there were some instances where recruiting agents had misled Indian citizens into joining the Russian military, “many of the individuals had entered into voluntary contracts with Russian entities”, reported Live Law.
Bhati added that apart from the 10 who have died, one person was in jail in a criminal case, and another was “voluntarily continuing” in the military.
“The Indian government has been doing a multi-pronged strategy, we have been guiding them not to accept these [job offers],” said Bhati.
The Russian defence ministry stopped recruiting Indians in April 2024, according to the country’s embassy in New Delhi. However, contracts for military service have delayed the release of several Indians.
In December, Singh said that 119 Indians have been discharged from service in Russia. Efforts are being made to secure the release of the remaining 50 persons, he added.
He also said that New Delhi and Indian diplomatic missions in Russia have been assisting citizens discharged from the Russian Army for their return to India by facilitating their travel documents and providing them with air tickets.
“The Indian mission in Russia has also assisted with the task of evacuation of mortal remains,” Singh said. “Once the mortal remains are shifted to a safe zone, the identification process involves matching of DNA samples with the next of kin.”
The discharge of Indian citizens is discussed bilaterally at several levels, including during interactions between leaders, ministers and officials, he added.
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