45 Indians released from Russian custody after India's diplomatic efforts; more expected soon: MEA
PTC News Desk: The Ministry of External Affairs stated on Monday that since New Delhi brought up the issue with Moscow, at least 45 Indians who had been duped into joining the Russian Army have been freed. "As of now, 45 Indians were released by the Russian Army and approximately 50 are yet to be released," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
At the MEA's weekly press briefing, Jaiswal told the media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought up the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and as a result, 35 Indian citizens were freed. Before Prime Minister Modi's trip to Russia, at least ten had been freed and gone home.
"A few days ago, at least six of them came back. We think there are still about fifty there and they will be back shortly," he continued.
The issue surfaced in January of this year following media reports on the deception of certain young people into joining the Russian military. The Ministry of External Affairs later verified this as well, but it withheld the precise figures. EAM S Jaishankar, however, told the Rajya Sabha members that 80–90 Indians had been hired. He claimed that under the guise of lucrative occupations, these young people were tricked into fighting for the Russian Army against Ukraine.
Prime Minister Modi brought up the issue vehemently with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his July visit to Moscow. The Russian side promised to remove every Indian from their armed forces. In addition to PM Modi, Jaishankar discussed the issue on several times with his Russian colleague, Sergei Lavrov.
Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney stated earlier on Monday that at least 15 young people who had been duped into joining the Russian Army had been freed. After being freed from the Russian Army, fifteen Indian youths—four of them from Punjab—are being sent home. Since March 2024, I have been pursuing this subject," Sahney stated on X.
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- With inputs from agencies
