Bishkek: A total of 227 Indian nationals have been recruited into the Russian army since the start of the war with Ukraine, and out of these, 51 have died
so far, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday during a briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyrgyzstan. It was also revealed that out of the total 139, 139 have been discharged. Misri said India and Russia have discussed the matter at multiple levels and on several occasions. "On the release of Indians from the Russian army, the issue of our nationals, our citizens, being recruited into the Russian armed forces has been discussed between India and Russia at various levels on various occasions," the foreign secretary stated. Providing an update on the number of Indians recruited into the Russian army, Misri said, "At last count, we had information about 227 Indian nationals who had been recruited into the Russian army." "Out of that, we have information that 139 of our nationals have been discharged from the army. And unfortunately, of course, we have information also about 51 people who have perished so far," he added. Misri reiterated that India continues to engage with Russia on the issue and is working to secure the early release and repatriation of the remaining Indian nationals. "This is an issue that we are in constant discussions with the Russian side," he said. He said the Indian Embassy in Moscow is regularly monitoring the situation concerning the release and repatriation of Indian nationals. "Our embassy in Moscow is monitoring this situation regularly with regard to the release and repatriation of these Indian citizens. And we are in discussions with the Russian side to ensure that any cases that remain are discharged at the earliest so that we can return these people to their families at the earliest," the Foreign Secretary said. He also addressed the issue of India-Russia trade, stating, “During the last summit, there was a Russian Importers Forum held in India in parallel to the summit. It saw very enthusiastic participation from the Russian side of businesses desirous of importing more from India. It is going to be our endeavour to replicate this by organising an Indian Exporters Forum at the next annual summit, which will take place in Russia." He added that President Putin referred to this aspect and informed the media, "I can share with you that President Putin specifically referred to this aspect by saying that Russia would be happy to organise such a forum where Indian exporters could come and display their wares and share their ideas about diversifying the trade basket and increasing the possibilities of exports from India to Russia." On Monday, PM Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. PM Modi urged the Russian President to move from "endless war to the end of war," calling for an immediate end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. PM Modi said that a peaceful resolution of the conflict is humanity's shared priority, adding that every day of war sets humanity back and that India, the land of Gandhi and Buddha, supports all efforts towards peace and will continue to do so.
