Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday said 51 of the 227 Indian nationals recruited into the Russian army had died, while 139 had already been discharged.
“This remains an issue on which we are in constant, ongoing discussions with the Russian side,” Misri said in Kyrgyzstan, where he is attending the SCO Summit along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as reported by news agency ANI.
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Addressing a press briefing, Misri said the recruitment of Indians into the Russian army had been raised with Moscow at various levels on multiple occasions.
“Our embassy in Moscow is regularly monitoring this situation regarding the release and repatriation of these Indian citizens. We remain in active discussions with the Russian side to ensure that any remaining cases are discharged at the earliest so that we can return these individuals to their families as soon as possible,” he said, according to ANI.
Misri’s remarks came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit for bilateral talks, during which Modi stressed the need to move from “endless wars to the end of war”, referring to Russia’s four-year war in Ukraine.
Earlier in August, India said around two dozen Indian nationals were still serving in the Russian army, with efforts underway to secure their release.
The government had stated for the first time then that 139 Indian nationals had been released so far, as New Delhi continued to take up the matter with Russian authorities.
The Centre also renewed its warning to Indians against accepting job offers that are “fraught” with risks and are made by unscrupulous individuals or agencies.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed the Centre to appoint a nodal officer in the external affairs ministry to coordinate with the families of those who have died, gone missing, or suffered injuries while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has been repeatedly asking Russia to release all Indians serving with Russian military units as support staff, including cooks and helpers. Speaking at his regular media briefing, Jaiswal said,”We continue to pursue the release of around two dozen Indian nationals who reportedly joined and still remain with the Russian army.”
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Inputs from PTI
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
