2024-07-10T14:33:00+03:00 War in Ukraine 2024-09-15T04:15:55+03:00

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ISW explains why russia recruited Indian citizens to its army

ISW explains why russia recruited Indian citizens to its army

The fraudulent recruitment of Indian citizens into the russian army is not a "mistake" and is part of the Kremlin's campaign to recruit "volunteers" to strengthen the front line in Ukraine without announcing mobilization in russia.

This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Thus, in February 2024, Indian officials announced their efforts aimed at the early demobilization of 20 Indian citizens recruited into the russian army. Back in March 2022, India's Central Bureau of Investigation announced that it had exposed a "huge human trafficking network" that lured Indian citizens to work in russia, but forced them to join the ranks of the russian army.

Additionally, in March 2024, a group of Indian men released a video appeal to the Indian government to help them return from russia, saying russian officials forced them to join the russian army after arriving in russia on tourist visas and threatened to jail them for 10 years.

Indian citizens also told Reuters in March 2024 that recruiters offered permanent residence in russia after six months of military service.

"The recruitment of Indian citizens is part of the Kremlin's ongoing campaign to build up the armed forces, which began in the spring of 2022 as a way for putin to avoid announcing a highly unpopular mobilization in russia and continued after putin announced a partial mobilization in September 2022," the analysts conclude.

The Kremlin has reportedly tasked a wide range of recruiters, including russian government officials, businessmen, private military companies and foreign nationals, with recruiting all available "volunteers" to fight in Ukraine, often using deceptive practices and incentives.

In particular, ISW documented how russia recruited citizens of Nepal, Cuba, Serbia, as well as Central Asian and African countries to participate in hostilities in Ukraine, using deceptive pretexts such as offers of russian citizenship or high financial compensation.

It will be recalled that in May it was reported that four people were arrested in India who recruited local residents to participate in russia's war against Ukraine.

It was also announced that this week Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit russia and raise the issue of releasing Indians from the russian army.

The media reported that as a result of the meeting between Modi and the russian leader vladimir putin, the aggressor country of russia will recall from the front line Indian citizens who were previously recruited by Moscow to participate in the war against Ukraine.

In addition, the mass media claim that the Prime Minister of India during a two-day visit to russia made the most direct appeal ever to end the war in Ukraine. He allegedly declared that "you won't find a solution on the battlefield."