Eight Indians Killed Serving Russian Military, Min Tells Parliament

New Delhi: Eight Indian nationals have so far been killed while serving with the Russian Army, informed Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In a written reply to a question, he stated that the exact number of Indian nationals recruited into Russia’s armed forces is not known, though 63 Indians have sought early discharge.

“Eight deaths have been reported where the citizenship of the deceased has been verified as Indian,” Singh said while replying to a question from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak.

“Information available currently indicates that 12 Indian nationals have already left the Russian armed forces while another 63 individuals are seeking early discharge,” Singh said.

Most of the Indians were recruited as support staff, such as cooks and helpers, and accompanied their units to the warfront.

The government has received requests for facilitating the early discharge of “some Indian nationals purportedly recruited into the Russian armed forces in unclear circumstances”. He added., “The exact number of such Indian nationals is not known,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month.

The Russian government has informed the Indian side that compensation will be paid to the families of the dead Indians in “accordance with the contracts signed by them”, Singh said.

The external affairs ministry has urged all Indians to “exercise due caution while seeking employment opportunities in Russia” and to “stay away from this conflict”.