12 Indians serving with Russian military killed, 16 ‘missing’: MEA

New Delhi, Jan 17: India on Friday said 12 Indian nationals have been killed while serving with the Russian military and another 16 listed by Russia as missing.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said a total of 126 Indians were serving with the Russian military and 96 of them have so far been discharged. “Twelve Indian nationals have died in the (Russia-Ukraine) conflict, who were serving in the Russian Army,” Jaiswal said, responding to a question at his weekly media briefing.
“Out of the 126 known cases of Indian nationals serving in the Russian armed forces, 96 individuals have already returned. They have been discharged from the Russian armed forces,” he said. Of the remaining 18 Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, the whereabouts of 16 individuals are currently not known, he added. “The Russian side has categorised them as missing,” Jaiswal said.
The MEA is in touch with the families of all the 16 Indians categorised as missing by Russian authorities.
“We remain engaged with the Russian authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing Indian nationals and for an early release and repatriation of those who remain,” he said. (PTI)