The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced today that it is in contact with at least 50 Indian nationals who wish to end their employment in the Russian Army.

This follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Moscow, where he raised the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Prime Minister Modi raised this matter with President Putin during his recent visit to Russia. The Russian side has responded positively to our request. Both sides are working for an early discharge of Indian nationals, and hopefully, they will come back soon,” stated MEA spokesperson, Mr. Jaiswal, during a press briefing.

Mr. Jaiswal further elaborated, “We have about 50 Indian nationals who have contacted us expressing their desire to be discharged. Their family members have also met with us. This issue has been raised by us at all levels, including at the leadership level.”

He also mentioned that 10 Indian nationals have already returned from Russia. Last week, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra highlighted that Prime Minister Modi took a strong stance on the issue of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army during his meeting with President Putin. The Russian government has assured an “early discharge” of these individuals.

In a special briefing, Foreign Secretary Kwatra remarked, “The Prime Minister strongly raised the issue of the 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 an early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian army.”

The recent India-Russia Annual Summit concluded with both countries deciding to hold the next round of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission Talks to further strengthen bilateral collaboration with a robust agenda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Russia on July 8-9 at the invitation of President Putin for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. Following this, PM Modi also invited President Putin to visit India in 2025 for the 23rd Annual Summit.

In addition to the discussion on the Indian nationals in the Russian army, MEA spokesperson Mr. Jaiswal addressed the issue of an Indian vessel that capsized near Oman. “Search and rescue operations are currently underway. The Indian Navy has been carrying out search and rescue operations since the ship capsized on July 15. Omani authorities are also involved in the rescue efforts,” he stated.

Out of the 16 members on board, nine crew members (eight Indians and one Sri Lankan) have been rescued, and one crew member has unfortunately died. The Indian Navy’s warship INS Teg is deployed in the mission, rescuing the nine crew members from the capsized oil tanker, Falcon Prestige, which went down about 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah, Oman.