26 Indians working in Russian military killed, 7 more missing, says Centre

NEW new delhi: 26 amerindic nationals were killed patch serving in the Russian armed forces and heptad have been reported missing, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.The figure for the dead – provided in a written answer by minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in Rajya Sabha – is far higher than the number acknowledged by the external affairs ministry in the past. Officials earlier said that 12 Indians were killed while fighting on the frontlines in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.The minister’s reply, in response to a question from Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale and Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, came shortly after media reports said the bodies of two Indians killed while serving with the Russian military had arrived in Delhi on Wednesday. The two dead men belonged to Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.Singh said in his written reply that 202 Indian nationals “are believed to have been recruited into the Russian armed forces”. Efforts by the government resulted in the early discharge of 119, while “26 are reported to have lost their lives and seven are reported missing by the Russian side”, he said.“Efforts are ongoing for [the] early discharge of 50 individuals. The [external affairs] ministry has provided assistance in repatriation of mortal remains of 10 deceased Indian nationals to India, and local cremation of two deceased Indian nationals,” Singh said.DNA samples of the family members of 18 Indians reported dead or missing have been shared with Russian authorities to “help establish the identity of some of the deceased Indian nationals”, he said.The external affairs ministry and the Indian mission and posts in Russia have assisted Indians discharged from the Russian Army to return to India, including through the facilitation of travel documents and providing air tickets. The Indian embassy in Moscow also assisted in the evacuation of bodies.“Once the mortal remains are shifted to a safe zone, the identification process involves matching of DNA samples with the next of kin. When the identity is conclusively established, the India embassy assists in completion of requisite documentation for local cremation or transportation of mortal remains to India, in close coordination with the family,” Singh said.Singh added that the government remains continuously engaged with the Russian side to ensure the safety, well-being and early discharge of all Indians in the Russian armed forces. “This matter is discussed at various levels, including during interactions between leaders, ministers, and officials of the two sides,” he said.The problem of Indian nationals being admitted into the Russian military has continued despite Russian authorities saying they had halted their recruitment in 2024. In an interview with HT in November, Russian ambassador Denis Alipov described the matter as a “serious concern to both sides”. The Russian Army doesn’t recruit Indian nationals and “those who signed military contracts have done so voluntarily”, he said.