New Delhi: At least 16 Indians deployed by the Russian Army for the ongoing war with Ukraine are missing, while 12 have been killed so far, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed on Friday.
“As of today, there have been 126 cases (Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army). Of these, 96 people have returned to India and have been discharged from the Russian Armed Forces. 18 Indian nationals in the Russian Army remain and out of them the whereabouts of 16 individuals are not known,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told newspersons on Friday.
Jaiswal said that Russia has categorised the 16 Indian nationals as “missing”, and at least 12 Indian nationals have been killed fighting for the Russian Army in Ukraine.
Following the death of Kerala resident Binil Babu and injuries sustained by another person named TK Jain recently, India has strongly raised the matter with Moscow and insisted on early release and repatriation of those who are still in Russia.
Extending condolences to Binil’s family, Jaiswal said the Indian embassy is in touch with Russian authorities for the repatriation of his mortal remains.
Jain, under treatment in Moscow, will return to India once he is fit and healthy to fly.
The 32-year-old Binil and 27-year-old Jain are ITI mechanical diploma holders, having travelled to Russia on April 4 last year to work as electrician and plumber, respectively. On arrival in Moscow, however, their passports were confiscated, and they were subsequently deployed to the war zone as part of Russian Military Support Service, according to relatives.
Several Indians were duped by agents and sent to Moscow with the lure of money and a Russian passport if they fought for Russian forces.
