227 Indians Recruited into Russian Army, 51 Killed

Darwin, September 02 : A total of 227 Indian nationals were recruited into the Russian armed forces, of whom 139 have already been discharged. However, 51 Indians have so far been killed, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.

He made the remarks on Monday (August 1) during a special press briefing by India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Responding to a question from ANI, Vikram Misri said India and Russia have held multiple discussions at various levels regarding the recruitment of Indian nationals into the Russian armed forces.

“According to the latest information available, 227 Indian nationals had been recruited into the Russian armed forces. Of them, 139 have been discharged, while 51 have lost their lives,” he said.

The Foreign Secretary said India is regularly engaging with Moscow to ensure that the remaining Indians serving in the Russian military are discharged as soon as possible and brought back home.

He added that the Indian Embassy in Moscow is closely monitoring the situation. Engagement with the Russian authorities is ongoing to secure the early discharge of the Indians still serving in the Russian armed forces and facilitate their return to their families.

Vikram Misri also spoke about India-Russia trade relations. He said that during the previous summit, a forum for Russian importers was organized in India, which generated significant interest among Russian businesses.

He said India plans to organize a similar forum for Indian exporters in Russia during the upcoming annual summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also expressed interest in the initiative. The forum will provide Indian exporters with an opportunity to showcase their products in Russia and help expand the scope of trade between the two countries.

Source: NDTV