'Dangerous path': India urges its citizens not to join Russian army
Photo: Indian authorities urged their citizens not to join the Russian army (Getty Images)
The Indian government has "strongly discouraged" its citizens from traveling to Russia to join the Russian army, warning of the "mortal dangers" they would face there, The Hindu reports.
The warning came after the Indian Embassy in Moscow began detecting an increase in the number of Indian nationals being recruited to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it continues to receive reports of Indians joining the Russian army despite numerous appeals and warnings.
Over the past two years, the government has repeatedly highlighted the risks and dangers associated with such a course of action and has periodically advised Indian citizens to exercise caution when seeking employment opportunities abroad and not to fall for job offers from unverified individuals.
“The government has on several occasions over the past two years and underlined the risks and dangers inherent in this course of action and advice Indian citizens from time to time to be cautious while pursuing job opportunities abroad and not get lured by any job offers from unverified individuals,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The ministry added that it continues to cooperate with Russian authorities to ensure the safety and earliest possible release of all Indians serving in the Russian armed forces.
According to officials, the alarming trend continues, as many people in India fall for what they consider "attractive" job offers but are deceived by recruitment agents.
During his visit to Moscow in July 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of Indian recruits who had signed contracts to join the Russian army but wanted to return to India, and Russian President Vladimir Putin assured him that he would help.
However, officials said that although dozens of recruits were helped to return after Moscow granted special permission, even more people are joining the ranks of recruits in the hope of making money and possibly emigrating.
Russia recruits foreigners for the war
Russia continues to systematically recruit foreigners to participate in the war against Ukraine.
Russia has already recruited more than 42,000 foreigners and plans to recruit even more by the end of 2026. One in five recruits has already been killed.
Recently, new cases of Indonesian citizens being recruited into the ranks of Russia’s occupying forces came to light.
