What happened: India says around 24 Indians are still serving with the Russian Army
The Ministry of External Affairs (EAM) stated that around 24 Indian citizens hired through fraudulent and non-transparent means continue to serve with the Russian Army as the war in Ukraine persists. EAM spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said the EAM has been consistently following up and that its efforts have led to the release of 139 Indian nationals so far.
Background: the Ministry of External Affairs links the presence to exploitative hiring
The EAM framing connects Indian citizens’ reported presence with the Russian Army to fraudulent and non-transparent recruitment pathways. In an active conflict, verifying the location and status of affected citizens and securing their exit can become slower and more complex, which makes sustained consular follow-up important.
What changed now: updated counts of remaining cases and releases
The Ministry of External Affairs update gives two quantitative markers in the spokesperson’s statement: around 24 Indian citizens are said to still be serving with the Russian Army, and 139 Indian nationals are said to have been released so far through EAM follow-up.
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