There is no information on the number of Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, eight Indians have died so far – Minister of State for External Affairs

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for more than 2 years. Many Indians have also been killed in the fighting between these two countries, located thousands of kilometers from India. The Government of India informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that 8 Indians who fought for the Russian Army have died in the Russian Armed Forces. Responding to a question, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh said that available information shows that 12 Indian nationals have already left the Russian Armed Forces and 63 Indians are seeking to leave soon. “8 people who died in the war have been identified as Indians,” he said. 'Financial assistance for the bodies of 4 Indians' Kirti Vardhan Singh said that the government has received requests for the early release of some Indian citizens who were allegedly recruited into the Russian army without clear information. However, he added, “the exact number of such Indian citizens is not known”. Minister of State for External Affairs Keerthy Vardhan said, “According to the information we currently have, 12 Indian nationals have already defected from the Russian Armed Forces, and 63 others are seeking their immediate release.” He said that the central government has provided financial assistance to recover the dead bodies of 4 Indian citizens. If necessary, this assistance will be provided for other matters as well. He also said that Russia would compensate the families of the dead. He said the issue of early release of Indian nationals in the Russian Armed Forces and their security and welfare has been strongly raised by the government with the relevant authorities of Russia at various levels. Talking about raising the issue of release of Indians during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia last month, the External Affairs Minister said, “During his visit to Russia in July, Prime Minister Modi called for the immediate release of all Indian citizens. The Russian armed forces “strongly emphasized the urgent need for liberation.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in June that the issue of Indian nationals serving in the Russian military was a “matter of grave concern”. Action has been requested of Moscow. On June 11, India claimed that two Indian nationals recruited by the Russian army were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war. Following the deaths of the Indians, the Ministry of External Affairs demanded a ban on further Russian military action against Indian citizens.