Eight Indian citizens were killed in the war in Ukraine on the side of the occupiers. The Indian government reported this information to the parliament on 1 August, the Hindustan Times reports.
Prior to that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had recognised the deaths of only four Indian citizens. In response to a parliamentary inquiry, the Indian Foreign Minister said that the exact number of citizens recruited by Russia is unknown, but 63 people have applied for early release from the Russian army.
Most of the foreigners were recruited for "auxiliary" work, such as cooks.
External Affairs Minister Singh added that at least 12 Indians have already been discharged from the Russian army, and another 63 are seeking early release.
During his visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of recruiting Indians into the Russian army. Singh said that Modi "strongly reiterated the urgent need for the early release of all Indian citizens" from the Russian armed forces. The Ministry of External Affairs urged all Indians to "exercise due caution while seeking employment opportunities in Russia" and "stay away from this conflict".