Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed with Vladimir Putin to release from military service Indians who were deceived into participating in the invasion of Ukraine. India Today and NDTV report this with reference to their sources.
According to the publications, Russia will also facilitate the return of recruits to their homeland. Putin and Modi made this decision during the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Moscow. As India Today emphasizes, Modi also called on Putin for negotiations with Ukraine.
In March, Indian intelligence agencies reported the discovery of a “large human trafficking network.” Representatives of the network sent young men from India to Russia under the pretext of good work, after which they were deceived into ending up in the war in Ukraine. At the end of April, four people were arrested in this case.
The Indian authorities then reported 35 citizens recruited in this way to participate in the invasion. India Today writes that the number of recruited Indians is between 35 and 50 people, four of whom died during the fighting. The Indian Embassy in Moscow confirmed the death of one of them, 30-year-old Mohammed Asfan. As India Today writes with reference to the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ten mercenaries managed to return home.
On March 6, NDTV journalist Uma Sudhir from New Delhi published a video in which seven of her compatriots in Russian military uniforms told how they ended up at the front. According to the men in the video, they first came from Russia to Belarus as tourists. Then they were detained and handed over to Russian security forces, who forced them to sign unknown documents in Russian. The Indians then underwent 15 days of military training and ended up in the war.
The recruitment of foreigners to participate in the war against Ukraine was already known. In particular, Cubans and Nepalese were recruited into the Russian army. In January, Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing foreigners who have signed a contract for military service to obtain Russian citizenship.