India on Friday said it has urged Russia to immediately release and repatriate 27 Indian nationals who were recently recruited into the Russian military.

“We have taken up the matter vigorously with our mission in Russia and with the authorities in Moscow, urging that our nationals be released and brought back at the earliest,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press conference.

Jaiswal also said that advisories had previously been issued warning Indians “to avoid such enticements that lead them there”.

He added that “people should be aware of the dangers of joining the Russian armed forces and should avoid the kinds of temptations or employment opportunities that are being offered there”.

Earlier this month, The Hindu reported that at least 15 Indians were stranded in Ukraine, where they were being forced to fight alongside the Russian military.

In response to questions about the report, Jaiswal had said that accepting offers to join the Russian Army was “fraught with danger”.

At the time he had said that India had taken up the matter with Russian authorities in New Delhi and Moscow, “asking that this practice be ended and that our nationals be released.”

In January, following the death of a citizen from Kerala who was recruited by the Russian Army, the ministry had warned Indian citizens against joining the Russian military. New Delhi contends that many were duped by unscrupulous agents and are often hired as support staff such as cooks and helpers.

In July, the ministry told the Rajya Sabha that there were 127 Indian citizens in the Russian armed forces, of which 98 persons had been discharged from the military and had returned to India “as a result of sustained engagement” between the two governments.

The Russian defence ministry stopped recruiting Indians in April 2024, according to the country’s embassy in New Delhi. However, contracts for military service have delayed the release of several Indians.

Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.

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