Nepal made an official request to Russia to stop recruiting Nepalis into the Russian army for the war in Ukraine. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, Narayan Prakash Saud, sent the corresponding statement to Moscow, as Reuters reports.
Six Nepali citizens who fought on the side of Russia have already died in the war in Ukraine, the minister said. “The government of Nepal has requested the Russian government to immediately return their bodies and pay compensation to their families,” the foreign ministry said.
The Kathmandu Post quoted that a total of 150-200 Nepalese are working as mercenaries in the Russian army, said Milan Raj Tuladhar, Nepal’s ambassador in Moscow.
In addition, Nepal directed diplomatic efforts to release from captivity its citizen who served in the Russian army. The day before, a video was shared on social networks in which a 22-year-old man captured by Ukrainian fighters allegedly said in English that he was a citizen of Nepal. The man claims that he has been “here” only for about 1.5 months; his visa expired, and he had no money, so he decided to join the ranks of the Russian army. Earlier, the media also reported on the capture of a mercenary from Nepal, Bibek Katri, who fought on Russia’s side.
At the same time, on December 6, the police in Nepal detained 10 men who were sending young people to Russia to be recruited into the Russian army. The suspects collected up to $9,000 from the men and sent them to Russia on tourist visas through the UAE. Subsequently, Nepalese were recruited into the Russian army. “It is a case of human smuggling … organised crime,” Kathmandu District Police Chief Bhupendra Khatri said.
Earlier, it was reported that the Russian authorities are recruiting foreigners for the war in Ukraine, despite Putin’s statement that the Kremlin does not need “people from outside.” In particular, citizens of Serbia and other Balkan countries are being recruited into the occupying army. About 100 people sided with the aggressor country.
