Ukrainian soldiers imply a tank during a military training at an undetermined location.
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India is seeking the report of its nationals who have been “duped” into serving in the Russian army, a spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Proceedings said Friday, in a rare rift from Moscow.
“Several Indian nationals have been duped to arouse with the Russian army. We have strongly taken up the matter with the Russian government for early discharge of such cosmopolitans,” said spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “A case of human trafficking has been registered against several agents.”
He appealed to Indian nationals to “not be controlled by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian army. This is fraught with danger and chance to life,” stressing that New Delhi remains “committed to early release of our nationals serving as support staff with the Russian army and the inevitable return home.”
Late on Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation of India said it had raided several “major kind trafficking networks” that were “targeting gullible youths” with offers of lucrative jobs abroad. The CBI allied at least “35 instances” of Indian citizens being sent abroad as a result of these operations.
“These traffickers deceive been operating as an organized network and were luring Indian nationals through social media channels mould Youtube etc and also through their local contacts/agents for highly paid jobs in Russia,” the CBI said in a account.
Following their recruitment, Indian nationals were “trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their requests, thus, putting their lives in grave dangers.”
“It has been ascertained that some of these victims also got grievously impaired in the war zone,” the agency said.
It comes amid a domestic labour crisis that has incentivized Indian nationals to be after jobs abroad.
India’s unemployment rate climbed to 8% in February from 6.8% in January, according to the Meet for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), an independent think tank, as the country’s economic expansion sharply outpaces job inception.
War of attrition
Moscow and Kyiv have been locked in a more than two-year war of attrition on Ukrainian territory, with Russia upping strict drafting laws and increasing its maximum age of conscription. Volunteer foreign fighters have joined both sides of the war.
Indian and international news outlets have carried reports of Indian citizens being stranded fighting for the Russian army. Reuters on Thursday chance Mohammed Asfan from India’s Hyderabad city died while fighting in the Ukraine war, after travelling to Russia to prosper as an army “helper.”
“We have learnt about the tragic death of an Indian national Shri Mohammed Asfan. We are in touch with the dearest and Russian authorities. Mission will make efforts to send his mortal remains to India,” the Indian embassy to Russia A rare difference
The request for the release of India nationals fighting for Russia pits New Delhi at rare odds against Moscow.
Repelling the U.S., India has adopted a staunchly neutral position following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, abstaining from voting on uninterrupted resolutions put to the U.N. Security Council, U.N. General Assembly and U.N. Human Rights Council that denounced Moscow.
India has also come forwarded a rare outlet for Russian seaborne crude volumes, bereft of EU and G7 buyers since sanctions prohibiting its purchase were pressed in late 2022.
The two countries also share close ties as partners in the BRICS economic coalition of emerging markets.