An Indian soldier who fought alongside the Russian army has been killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, one of his relatives said on Monday. This is the fifth confirmed death of an Indian citizen during the war, AFP reports, UNN writes.
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Hundreds of Indians are among the thousands of foreign soldiers believed to have been hired by Moscow to bolster its forces, and New Delhi has called for their repatriation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this month and received "assurances" of this, the Indian Foreign Ministry said.
Ravi Moun, 22, traveled to Russia in January after a private recruitment agent promised him a "job in transportation," his brother Ajay told AFP by phone.
But later he was trained to handle weapons, and in March he was forced to join the fighting on the border with Ukraine, the newspaper writes.
"After losing contact with him, I contacted the Indian embassy in Moscow and they informed us that my brother had died," Ajay said, adding that the embassy had asked the family to send DNA samples to identify Moun's body.
Ajay said that his brother once returned from the front line, but was later taken away to fight again. It is not known when he died.
"After that, we lost contact with him," Ajay said, adding that his family sought Modi's help to recover Mone's body.
India's Ministry of External Affairs said last week that the government continues to work with Russian authorities to return about 50 Indians fighting alongside the Russian army.
According to local media reports, four more Indian soldiers have been killed this year.
Indian authorities have arrested several people accused of trafficking citizens of the country to fight for the Russian army after promising them non-combat roles.
The unemployment rate in India remains high despite rapid economic growth, and a huge number of people look for work abroad every year.
India is a longtime ally of Russia and has shied away from directly condemning the invasion of Ukraine.
Modi said he discussed the conflict "openly and in detail" during a meeting with Putin this month, calling for peaceful dialogue and adding that "war cannot solve problems.
Прем'єр-міністр Індії Моді відвідає Україну в серпні26.07.24, 22:41