Hoping for a Russian passport and a lot of money, young men from South Asia fall for unscrupulous intermediaries – and suddenly end up at the front in the fight against Ukraine.
The young Nepalese wants to remain unrecognized. He shows a scarred wound on his right lower leg. There is also a wide scar across his left foot. There are still metal particles stuck in his foot. The 24-year-old was part of a Russian unit on the front in eastern Ukraine.
“When it rained bombs and bullets, I thought my life is over, that’s it, I’m going to die. But I survived and I feel like I’ve been reborn,” he told AFP. He was lucky and is back in his home country.
“Heard there was good money there”
But many of his comrades died before his eyes. And many Nepalis are still seriously injured in Russia. On his cell phone he shows photos from his time in the Russian army as well as videos on social media of other Nepalis at the front.
He had borrowed money for a student visa in Russia. But he wasn’t allowed to work with it. “I had to pay off loans at home and couldn’t send money. I chose the army because I heard there was good money there. Not because I wanted to, but because my situation forced me to,” said he.
There are said to be thousands of Nepalese who have been fighting for Russia on the front since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The government of Nepal officially only speaks of 200. At least twelve are now said to have died. Five are prisoners of war in Ukraine. Non-governmental organizations assume significantly higher numbers.
Thousands of Nepalese have been fighting for Russia since the war of aggression against Ukraine began.
Cry for help from Indian men
Men from India also fight for Russia. Just this week, the Indian embassy in Moscow confirmed the death of an Indian. It was said that he fell for an employment agent in Dubai.
This week a video circulated in the Indian media – a cry for help from seven young Indians dressed in camouflage uniforms. They say they were tricked by the Russian authorities: “They made it a condition that we either go to prison for ten years or sign a contract for a job as an assistant, driver and cook. So we signed.”
Human trafficking for war
The Indian Foreign Ministry said authorities are cracking down on unscrupulous brokers who recruit young men with false promises. On Thursday, police carried out raids in several cities and collected evidence.
There are ongoing human trafficking cases against several brokers. Randhir Jaiswal, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said India was trying to bring back its compatriots. A total of 20 Indian mercenaries reported. “We are doing our best to locate them. We are in contact with the Russian authorities. We have urged them to release the men early,” explains the spokesman.
In Kathmandu, relatives of mercenaries protested in front of the Russian embassy at the beginning of February.
Nepalese ban on work in Russia and Ukraine
In Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, relatives of mercenaries protested in front of the Russian embassy at the beginning of February. They held up placards saying: “Russia! Stop recruiting Nepalis into the Russian army.”
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud had earlier stated: “Nepal is a country that believes in non-alignment and peace and therefore we cannot allow our citizens to be recruited into the army of any country in this way, with whom we have no agreement. We demand the immediate return of these people.” The Russian authorities have now offered compensation for the families of the Nepalese killed at the front.
At the end of the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree promising foreign mercenaries Russian citizenship and a salary of around 2,000 euros per month. For many Nepalis, this corresponds to a year’s salary.
The government of Nepal has now imposed a ban on its citizens working in Russia and Ukraine. She wants to prevent more compatriots from dying at the front.
Charlotte Horn, ARD New Delhi, tagesschau, March 9, 2024 11:10 a.m