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Seeking the discharge of Indians who joined Russia's army on
false premises has been a key focus of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week.
An Indian official accompanying Modi said on Tuesday that Russia
has promised their early discharge.
"The Russian army does not need Indians, especially those
numbers which are very few ... They do not change the situation
on the battleground in any way," Roman Babushkin, the Charge
d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in India, said late on
Wednesday.
He told news agency ANI that while most Indians fighting in the
war were there for what he called "commercial purposes", some
were cheated into joining up by agents. He added that India and
Russia were coordinating closely to find a solution to the
problem. Reuters has a minority stake in ANI.
Asked about Russia's investigation, Babushkin said the probe
should take place in Russia and India because the agents
involved are located mostly in India.
India said last week about 30 to 40 Indians lured to Russia by
the promise of lucrative jobs and education opportunities are
now thought to be fighting in the Russian army, and at least
four Indians have been killed in the conflict.
India has arrested at least four people thought to be part of a
nationwide human-trafficking network behind the racket, and it
says 10 Indian nationals have been brought back from Russia so
far.
New Delhi and Moscow have had close ties since the days of the
Soviet Union, and more recently India has been buying record
amounts of discounted Russian oil after the West imposed
sanctions on Russia's crude following its invasion of Ukraine in
February 2022.
India has not condemned Russia for the conflict, instead calling
for peace through dialogue and diplomacy.
During his visit, however, Modi used emotive language to deliver
an implicit rebuke to Putin, telling him that the death of
innocent children was painful and terrifying, a day after a
lethal strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv.
Russia has said, without providing evidence, that it was a
Ukrainian anti-missile system that struck the hospital.
(Reporting by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by YP Rajesh)
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