India
‘Never wanted them’: Russia on recruiting Indians into army to fight Ukraine | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Russia on Wednesday said it hopes for a quick resolution to the issue of Indians recruited as support staff in the Russian army. Roman Babushkinthe Russian chargé d’affaires stressed that the recruitment of Indians was purely a commercial matter. He claimed that Moscow had never intended Indians to be part of its army and that their numbers were insignificant in the context of the conflict.
“We are on the same side as the Indian government in this matter… We hope the issue will be resolved soon,” Babushkin said at a press conference.
Stressing that the issue should not be politicised, he said: “Let us be very clear, we never wanted Indians to be part of the Russian army. You will never see any announcement from the Russian authorities about this.” He added that most Indians were recruited under a commercial framework because they “wanted to make money” and that their number, be it 50, 60 or 100 people, has no meaning in terms of the wider conflict.
His comments followed Russia’s pledge to ensure the early release and return of Indian nationals serving in the Russian military after Prime Minister Modi “very strongly” raised the issue with the president Vladimir Putin.
The Russian diplomat also pointed out that most of the Indians recruited as support staff are working illegally. They do not have proper visas and have entered Russia on tourist visas.
When asked about compensation and Russian citizenship for the victims’ families, Babushkin said that this “should happen anyway, in accordance with the contractual obligations.”
Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday said the Russian side has promised to discharge all Indian nationals early from the service of the Russian army, an issue that PM Modi had emphatically raised during his informal talks with President Putin. The two sides will work to expedite the process of bringing back Indians home.
“We are on the same side as the Indian government in this matter… We hope the issue will be resolved soon,” Babushkin said at a press conference.
Stressing that the issue should not be politicised, he said: “Let us be very clear, we never wanted Indians to be part of the Russian army. You will never see any announcement from the Russian authorities about this.” He added that most Indians were recruited under a commercial framework because they “wanted to make money” and that their number, be it 50, 60 or 100 people, has no meaning in terms of the wider conflict.
His comments followed Russia’s pledge to ensure the early release and return of Indian nationals serving in the Russian military after Prime Minister Modi “very strongly” raised the issue with the president Vladimir Putin.
The Russian diplomat also pointed out that most of the Indians recruited as support staff are working illegally. They do not have proper visas and have entered Russia on tourist visas.
When asked about compensation and Russian citizenship for the victims’ families, Babushkin said that this “should happen anyway, in accordance with the contractual obligations.”
Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday said the Russian side has promised to discharge all Indian nationals early from the service of the Russian army, an issue that PM Modi had emphatically raised during his informal talks with President Putin. The two sides will work to expedite the process of bringing back Indians home.
