India probes cases of citizens killed after joining Russia’s war effort

India’s Supreme Court was informed on Friday, April 24, that at least 10 Indian nationals who travelled to Russia have died while fighting in the war against Ukraine, with the government stating that most had joined Russian forces under voluntary contracts.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Vipul Pancholi and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a writ petition filed by the families of 26 Indians. The petitioners alleged that these individuals had been deceived and coerced into participating in the conflict after travelling to Russia in search of employment, as per Indian media.

The court had earlier sought a response from the Union government. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the bench that 10 of the 26 individuals mentioned in the petition had died. She added that the Ministry of External Affairs had been in contact with the families and was pursuing a multipronged approach to address the situation.

The government maintained that while several of the individuals had entered the conflict voluntarily, there may have been cases in which agents misled them.

At the outset of the hearing, counsel for the petitioners claimed that the Ministry of External Affairs had not been communicating with the families. The Chief Justice observed that the issue required careful and tactful handling.

Responding to the allegations, Bhati said that out of 215 Indians who had gone to Russia, the families of 26 had approached the court. She asserted that the ministry had been in regular contact with the families.

"They have been communicating with us to bring back the mortal remains, they said we don't have the capacity. Yesterday, they told us, you keep the mortal remains, we are going to court. This is the behaviour. There are some difficulties; there are human angles. They have to cooperate with us, we are there to support every Indian citizen who needs support," Bhati told the court, referring to efforts to repatriate the bodies of the deceased and the challenges faced due to a lack of cooperation from some families.

The Chief Justice noted that recovering mortal remains from an active war zone could be nearly impossible.

The hearing featured sharp exchanges between the government and the petitioners. Counsel for the families argued that the ministry had failed to respond adequately despite around 120 representations submitted over recent months. Bhati reiterated that communication channels with the petitioners remained open.

"We have arranged mortal remains, and the 26th petitioner now says you keep it for 3 months..." she said.

"Unauthorised persons are helping us than the MEA itself...at least they should be directed to collect our DNA samples," the petitioners’ lawyer countered.

Following the hearing, the Supreme Court directed the Ministry of External Affairs to submit a detailed status report outlining the steps taken to address the matter.

By Tamilla Hasanova