Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar has promised stern legal action against recruitment agents that had duped youth from India into fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Expressing deep concern on job-aspirants from Kerala getting trapped and pushed to the war front on the Russia-Ukraine border, Mr. Jaishankar told media persons here on Thursday that the government has taken up the issue with Russia through diplomatic channels.
“It is totally unacceptable that any Indian should be taken to a conflict zone and in any manner, be made to work for an army in a conflict. This is a matter of strong concern for us. We called in the Russian Ambassador. Our Ambassador in Moscow was also instructed to go to the Foreign Ministry (in Russia),” he said.
He assured that efforts were on to ascertain how many Indians were stranded in Russia. “We are finding out how many such Indians are there. We are trying to get them back,” he added.
‘Supported diaspora’
The Union Minister, who accompanied National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency Rajeev Chandrasekhar in filing his nominations for the upcoming polls, said the country under the Narendra Modi rule has actively supported its diaspora in difficult situations. This has been evident in bringing back citizens from strife-torn places, including Iraq, Syria, Yeman, and Ukraine, he said.
He added that India’s relationships with West Asian countries have also improved during the last decade. “Be it the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, or Bahrain, the relations with these countries are very strong today. During COVID-19 times, these countries gave special treatment to our people,” Mr. Jaishankar said.