A Nepali youth, who escaped from the Russian army and returned home before his deployment to the warzone, revealed that Nepalis recruited in the Russian army were taken directly to the warzone in Ukraine. Addressing a press conference in Kathmandu on Friday, Suman Rai, who hails from Khotang, disclosed that upon joining the army, Nepali recruits were immediately deployed to the battlefield, leaving their chances of survival to near zero. Rai, who was lucky enough to escape Russia and safely return home, said that there is a practice of the Russian army to deploy Nepali soldiers in the forefront of conflict zones, putting their lives at great risk. Rai claimed that many Nepalis have lost their lives, and despite not being publicly disclosed, the death toll of Nepali nationals stands at around 400 to 500, although the government has officially confirmed the death of only 13 Nepali nationals so far. What is more troubling is that several hundreds of Nepali nationals are said to be currently serving with the Russian army. Also addressing the press conference, the families and relatives of Nepali nationals, who are currently serving with the Russian army, have urged the government to initiate their repatriation as soon as possible. Many of those joining the Russian army are out of contact for months. This highlights the urgency to take diplomatic initiatives to repatriate those already in the Russian army home and also trace the whereabouts of those missing.

It is good to note that police have intensified operations against the racket involved in sending Nepali youths to the Russian army. While nearly a dozen individuals sending youths to Russia have been arrested, senior police officials said they have continued their special operation to arrest more such individuals sending Nepali to the warzones. In addition to this, the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) recently decided not to issue work permits to Nepali nationals aspiring to work in war-torn Russia and Ukraine.  The government body took the measure amid an increasing number of Nepali nationals joining the Russian army illegally. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly urged Russia not to recruit Nepali citizens in its military rank and file and to send back any Nepali citizens who are currently serving in the army.  The foreign ministry has also sought information from Russia about the number of Nepalis who have joined the Russian army, in addition to the injured ones and their condition. As a part of its efforts to discourage Nepali youths going to Russia and joining its armed forces, the foreign ministry has urged all Nepalis to compulsorily receive no objection certificates (NOC) from the Nepali embassies and consulates in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain if they are traveling to Russia via those countries. Prior to this, the NOC was issued only from the Consular Service Department under the Foreign Ministry for those going to Russia for other reasons except for government assignment and for study under Russian government’s scholarship and businesses.

Nepal has no policy of sending its nationals to the Russian army. Earlier on August 1, the government had officially issued a notice stating that the government has no policy of approving the recruitment of any Nepali citizens in foreign military forces except in the national army of a few friendly nations in accordance with the long-standing agreement.  The foreign ministry also urged Nepalis not to get recruited in the military service of the war-ravaged nations on the basis of false information or other's temptation. Nepali side has already communicated with the Russian authorities through diplomatic channels to not recruit Nepali youths in its army and also provide the details of those already enlisted in the Russian army. Yet, there are reports that hundreds of Nepali nationals are currently serving with the Russian army and a large number of them are out of contact for months. This situation warrants the government to take immediate measures to trace the whereabouts of the missing and repatriate those already serving with the Russian army. Nepal, which advocates resolving the conflict through peaceful means, does not want to be a party to the conflict. We urge the government to further step up diplomatic initiatives to help trace the whereabouts of the missing persons and save the life of our citizens.

 
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