The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: External affairs S. Jaishankar has told the parliament that the government is awaiting the release of 69 Indian nationals who were recruited into the Russian army to fight the war in Ukraine.
In response to questions raised on the matter by AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Jaishankar told the parliament on Friday, August 9, there was evidence with the government that Indian nationals were being recruited into the Russian army under “misleading” circumstances.
The minister informed the House that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had already initiated criminal cases against 19 individuals and entities involved in this recruitment scheme, with evidence emerging against 10 human traffickers, and four arrests had already been made.
Jaishankar emphasised the government’s seriousness in addressing the issue, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally raised the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent meeting. Putin assured that Indian nationals in the Russian army would be discharged and released, he said.
“We should not jump the gun and say Russians are not serious on this matter. I think it is important to hold the Russian government to their word and most important for us, we are not here to score points or enter into debates. We are here to get back those 69 people because Indian citizens should not be serving in the army of foreign countries,” he said during the Question Hour, according to the news agency PTI.
According to the minister, there are a total of 91 cases of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army. Out of them, he said, eight had passed away, 14 were discharged or in some manner had come back with the government’s assistance and “there are 69 Indian citizens awaiting release from the Russian army”.
Eight of them have lost their lives, with the bodies of four having reached India. The minister acknowledged the gravity of the situation and reiterated the government’s commitment to bringing the remaining 69 Indians home.
Jaishankar underlined that the problem pertains to Russian authorities maintaining that these Indians had entered into contracts for services with the Russian army. “We are not necessarily subscribing to that… I think in many cases there are reasons to indicate that our nationals were misled, that they were told that they were going for some other job and then they were deployed with the Russian army,” he said.
Besides, the minister also highlighted broader concerns about cyber trafficking, revealing that 1,613 Indian nationals had been brought back from Southeast Asia after being forced into cyber scams. He emphasised the need for collaboration between state and central governments to tackle this growing problem, promising vigorous prosecution of those involved in illegal activities.