‘Orchestrated ’: Ukraine slams arrest of 6 nationals by NIA on Russian intelligence

UKraine on th uttered “serious worry” well-nigh the “possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature” of the caseful against six of its nationals arrested on charges of illegally entering Mizoram and training ethnic armed groups in Myanmar, following reports that Russian authorities had shared information on the matter.HT first reported on Thursday that Russian authorities shared information with their Indian counterparts regarding the six Ukrainian nationals and a US citizen who were arrested as part of a National Investigation Agency (NIA) operation. The seven individuals, arrested from the airports in Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata on March 13, have been remanded by a Delhi court to NIA custody till March 27.“Taking into account publicly available information in the case concerning the detention of six citizens of Ukraine, including media reports indicating that the initiation of this proceeding was prompted by information provided by the Russian side, the Embassy of Ukraine….expresses serious concern regarding the presence of circumstances that point to a possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature of this case, as evidenced, in particular, by the facts known at this stage,” the Ukrainian mission said in a statement.Ukraine also firmly rejected any insinuations regarding the “possible involvement of the Ukrainian State in supporting terrorist activities”. The statement pointed out that Ukraine “faces the consequences of Russian terror on a daily basis and, for this very reason, takes a principled and uncompromising stance in combating terrorism in all its forms”.The Ukrainian side said Kyiv has “no interest in any activity that could pose a threat to the security of India”, and instead advocates for “strengthening security, trust, and cooperation with India as an influential and friendly state”.The statement noted that Ukraine and India have confirmed at the highest level “their shared principled position on combating terrorism”. It recalled that a joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyiv in August 2024 strongly condemned all forms of terrorism, emphasised that there can be no justification for terror, and underlined the need for international cooperation in combating terrorism in line with international law and the UN Charter.“Proceeding from this shared position, Ukraine maintains that any allegation related to terrorism must be considered exclusively on the basis of verified facts, transparent procedures, and full intergovernmental cooperation,” the statement said.Ukraine also emphasised the need to ensure objectivity, transparency and impartiality in the investigation of the case against the six Ukrainians.“In this context, we express our principled readiness for active cooperation between the competent authorities of Ukraine and their Indian counterparts, in particular on the basis of the existing bilateral Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, which provides for the broadest possible measures of mutual legal assistance and interaction through the central authorities of the parties,” the statement said.The statement accused Russia, as an “aggressor state”, of working “under every circumstance to drive a wedge between friendly countries – Ukraine and India” and said any attempt to use this case to discredit Ukraine or to introduce distrust into Ukraine-India relations “appear to be a deliberate effort to harm the bilateral partnership, which is steadily developing and has significant potential for further deepening in line with the agreements of the leaders of the two states”.Ukraine said it expects that, taking into account the traditionally friendly and trusting nature of relations with India, the competent authorities of India will ensure the legality, transparency and openness of the process of the detained Ukrainian citizens, as well as the proper observance of their rights, in line with norms and principles of international law.NIA has told the court that the seven individuals allegedly entered India on tourist visas on different dates, flew to Guwahati, and then travelled to Mizoram without the requisite documents, such as the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) or Protected Area Permit (PAP).The individuals allegedly “entered Myanmar illegally and they were to conduct a pre-scheduled training for Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups (EAGs), known to support terror organisations/gangs operating in India in the domain of drone warfare, drone operations, assembly and jamming technology, etc, targeting the Myanmar Junta”, NIA said in its submission.