"On same page as India": Russian embassy in Delhi clarifies stance on recruiting Indian nationals for Russian Army

New Delhi [India], July 10 (ANI): The Russian embassy on Wednesday clarified its stance on the recruitment of Indian nationals for the Russian Army, and said that Moscow is on the same page as New Delhi on this issue.

The Embassy official said that Russia is equally committed to finding a solution to this problem at the earliest.

"We are on the same page as India on this problem. It is a common problem...We have information that these people were cheated by agents who are into criminal activities and brought them through illegal channels," Roman Babushkin, Charge D'Affaires, Russian Embassy in India told ANI.

He said that the investigation of the agents is ongoing, who were involved in the recruitment of the Indian nationals.

"We have established a mechanism of interaction with the Indian side and maintaining close coordination with the Indian govt. We are committed to finding a solution to this problem," the envoy said on the situation of Indian nationals seeking discharge from the Russian Army after they were misled into service. 

The Charge d'Affaires also noted that some Indian nationals have been duped, however, "some have gone voluntarily to earn money."

“We do not want them, and we are investigating the agents who recruited and deceived them. Agents from Russia are also under investigation. All Indian nationals in Russia are there on visitor or business visas, and we have no mechanism for recruiting Indian or other foreign nationals into our army," he said. 

"We are investigating the agents who are cheating Indians into a war zone. Some have gone voluntarily to earn money. But some are cheated into the war zones," the Charge d'Affaires further added.

Prime Minister Modi, during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, took a strong stance on the issue of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army and the Russian government has assured an "early discharge" of these Indians from the army service, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had said.

Addressing a special briefing on Tuesday, Kwatra said, "The Prime Minister strongly raised the issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who have been misled into the service of the Russian army. This was taken strongly by the Prime Minister, and the Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian army."

Notably, several Indians were allegedly duped into fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs.

In April, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), had busted a major human trafficking network running across the country targeting Indian nationals on the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad but allegedly sending them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone.

The CBI stated that these traffickers have been operating as an organised network and were luring Indian nationals through social media channels like YouTube, etc., and also through their local contacts and agents for highly paid jobs in Russia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his two-day visit to Russia and emplaned for Austria on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister interacted with the Indian diaspora at a hotel in Moscow before departing for Austria. 

The Prime Minister stressed that the ties between India and Russia are giving new energy to global prosperity. He also praised the Indian community for giving new heights to the ties between India and Russia. (ANI)