Top Diplomat of Nepal Requests Repatriation of Russian Nationals Enlisted in the War in Ukraine
The top diplomat for Nepal has requested that Russia return the corpses of those who lost their lives in the fighting and send back hundreds of its citizens who were enlisted to fight against Ukraine.
According to Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud, at least 14 Nepali nationals are believed to have lost their lives fighting in Ukraine after the Russian army recruited over 200 of them, according to an Associated Press interview. “We have requested that Russia immediately cease recruiting Nepali citizens for their armed forces, repatriate those who are currently serving, repatriate the bodies of those who have been killed, and treat and repatriate those who have been wounded in combat,” he said.
For generations, the British army recruited Nepali citizens to serve as renowned Gurkha troops. Later, when India got independence from Britain, Nepali people were also recruited by India. Following the ratification of a treaty between Nepal and Britain, that arrangement was established in 1816. According to Saud in the interview, Nepal is also asking Russia for financial support for the families of its citizens who lost their lives in the conflict.
According to media sources, Russia claims to have 12 of the 14 confirmed dead Nepali nationals. The majority of Nepalis want that their departed loved ones’ remains be burned in accordance with religious customs. “We have learned that the Ukrainian side is holding five of our people who fought with the Russians hostage. According to Saud, AP, “We are requesting that the Russian side take action to secure their release.”
The recruitment of foreign nationals for military duty in Ukraine has not been addressed by Russian authorities; nonetheless, media sources claim that the Russian military has also recruited some individuals from Cuba in addition to Nepal. According to Russian legislation, foreigners who complete an agreement with the Defense Ministry may join the country’s army. 17 persons were detained by Cuban police in September on suspicion of being part of a network that recruited citizens of Cuba to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
In an effort to bolster its military presence in Ukraine via a variety of means, including the recruitment of migrants, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month signed an order expediting the process of Russian citizenship for foreign nationals enlisting in the nation’s armed forces. According to Saud, he did not have any more information on this, Ukraine is also thought to have enlisted a few Nepalis as troops.
Since several of its nationals have reportedly been enlisted by the Russian army to serve in the crisis in Ukraine, the government of Nepal has prohibited its residents from seeking jobs in Russia or Ukraine. Each year, thousands of Nepalis leave the nation in pursuit of jobs overseas, but they must first get a government visa. It is thought that those who managed to reach Russia did so by passing via a third nation while posing as tourists.
Earlier this month, at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda, Saud had a meeting with Russian officials and went over the problems at hand. “We have made it very clear to them that they must send our citizens back right away and that they are not permitted to enlist in the army,” said Saud.
