A graduation ceremony for medical assistants of the Indian Air Force in Bengaluru, June 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/JAGADEESH NV
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has said 45 of its nationals have been granted an early discharge from the Russian army, independent TV channel NDTV reported on Thursday.
The ministry said the men had been forced to sign contracts with the Russian Defence Ministry and go to war in Ukraine, adding that another 50 Indians were still on the front line and that Indian diplomats were making every effort to have the servicemen returned to India, according to NDTV.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin agreed when they met for talks in Moscow in July that Russia would “facilitate the return” of Indian citizens serving in its military.
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in March that it had uncovered “major human trafficking networks” luring people via social media into the ranks of the Russian army under the pretext of lucrative work abroad.
Searches had been conducted at 13 locations across the country, including at travel agencies and visa consultancy firms suspected of involvement with recruiting people for the war, the CBI continued. It said it had detained and interrogated several suspects.
Indians who had responded to the ads had been sent to the front line against their will, according to the CBI. The press release said around 35 such instances had been established and that the investigation was ongoing.
