51 Indians In Russian Army Killed In Ukraine War, 139 Released From Service: MEA

India has said that 51 of the 227 Indian nationals recruited into the Russian armed forces have died, while 139 have been discharged and are being brought back home.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri shared the figures on Monday during a media briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyrgyzstan. He said India continues to engage with Russia to secure the discharge and repatriation of the Indians who remain in military service.

INDIA PRESSES RUSSIA FOR RELEASE OF REMAINING NATIONALS

Misri said New Delhi has repeatedly raised the recruitment of Indian citizens into the Russian military with Moscow at several levels.

“The issue of our nationals and citizens being recruited into the Russian armed forces has been discussed between India and Russia at various levels on multiple occasions,” he said.

The Indian embassy in Moscow is closely following the cases and working with Russian authorities on the release and return of the affected nationals.

“Our embassy in Moscow is regularly monitoring this situation regarding the release and repatriation of these Indian citizens,” Misri said.

He added that discussions with Russia were continuing to ensure the remaining Indians are discharged at the earliest.

“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.

51 INDIANS HAVE DIED

Providing the latest available data, Misri said 227 Indian nationals had been recruited into the Russian army.

“Out of that number, we have information that 139 of our nationals have been discharged,” he said.

He also confirmed that 51 Indians had died.

“Unfortunately, we also have information regarding 51 individuals who have perished so far,” Misri said.

The government has said the issue remains a priority in its continuing engagement with the Russian side.

MODI MEETS PUTIN AMID UKRAINE WAR

The figures came as Modi visited Kyrgyzstan for meetings linked to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

During the visit, Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit. The two leaders discussed India-Russia relations as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

India has consistently maintained that dialogue and diplomacy are essential to resolving the conflict and has called for sustained efforts towards ending the war.

At the same time, New Delhi is continuing its efforts to secure the release of Indian nationals still serving with the Russian armed forces and facilitate their safe return to their families.