“We were aware”: Ministry of External Affairs says that they knew about Indians being stuck in Russia, urged its citizens to “stay away” from the conflict

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said that they were aware of the fact that a few Indian Nationals were tied to jobs with the Russian army, forcing them fight against Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. The MEA added that necessary steps are being taken to ensure their early discharge and asked Indians in Russia to “stay away” from the conflict.

"We are aware that a few Indian nationals have signed up for support jobs with the Russian army. The Indian Embassy has regularly taken up this matter with the relevant Russian authorities for their early discharge. We urge all Indian nationals to exercise due caution and stay away from this conflict," said Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

A report filed by “The Hindu” on Thursday shed light on the predicament of at least three Indian personnels belonging to the states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat were conned by an agent and sent to Russia where they were forced to fight in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. Upon further investigation by “The Hindu”, it was found that around 18 Indians were conned by an agent named Faisal Khan and sent to Russia and forced to fight a t the combat lines. One of the Indians who managed to flee the warzone has alleged that the Indian embassy in Russia has not been able to help their cause, urging the Indian authorities to intervene and repatriate them back to the country.

AIMIM President Assaduddin Owaisi was the first Indian politician to take up this issue with the Union Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar. The family member of one of the victims who is a resident of Hyderabad approached Owaisi, and the AIMIM Chief in turn wrote letters to the Union Government and the Indian Embassy in Moscow.