NEW DELHI: Twelve Indian nationals, who joined the Russian army during the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, have lost their lives while 16 are missing, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said on Friday.
Jaiswal said 16 Indians had been categorised as “missing” by the Russian authorities. Their families in India had been informed and sensitised about the issue. These missing men could not be presumed to be dead so far, he said.
Jaiswal was answering questions at the MEA weekly media briefing. “We remain engaged with the Russian authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing Indian nationals and for an early discharge and repatriation of others,” he said.
In all, 126 Indian nationals were identified as having joined the Russian army during the conflict with Ukraine. Of them, 96 were discharged over the past few months. Two Indians are still with the Russian army. Another 12 persons have died at various locations during the conflict.
He said India had sought the early discharge of its remaining nationals from Russia. Earlier this week, Indian national Binil Babu (32) was killed on the warfront. He was among over 10 Indians who have died in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Another person, identified as Jain TK (27), was injured. Both hail from Kerala’s Kuttanellur. India has “strongly” taken up the case with Russia and has also raised it with the Russian embassy in New Delhi.
In October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the issue of the discharge of Indian nationals in Russia during his bilateral with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan.