‘You are powerful,’ Nepali men stuck in Russia urge India to help as Kathmandu ‘ignores’ them
Nepali men stuck in Russia war
Four Nepali nationalswho claim they were fraudulently tricked into joining the Russian army as fighters, have pleaded with the Indian government to rescue them. The four men can be seen huddled in a hut in a video circulating on social media. They have also accused the Nepalese government of turning its back on them and “doing nothing” to secure their repatriation.
“We are not being heard by the Embassy of Nepal (in Moscow). Nepal is not helping us. We want to seek help from our neighbouring country, India," one of the men said.
Watch the video below (in Hindi).
"We have great hope that India will help us and will not let us down. Nepal and India have a very strong relationship. Nothing is happening from our side, but your country and your embassy are very powerful. All of us want to go back because we have been cheated here,” he added.
How did they end up in Russia?
The Nepali citizens said they were duped by an agent who promised them to offer the role of ‘helper’ in the Russian Army.
“The agent sent us here (Russia) by lying to us, and now we are facing a lot of difficulties. We were told that we have to work as helpers in the Russian Army, but now we have to fight in the war,” the man said.
He added that there were at least 30 of them initially but now only five were remaining as others were sent to different places. He also claimed some of them have suffered serious injuries.
“Help us to get out of here," the man pleads.
Action by India
The appeal from the Nepali men comes as New Delhi said it was working to secure the release of around 20 Indian nationals who were "stuck" in the Russian army.
Watch:Russia-Ukraine war | How would Russia react to NATO in Ukraine?
Meanwhile, Indian authorities last week detained members of a "trafficking" network sending Indian nationals to Russia, after raiding several travel agents.
So far, at least two Indian citizens have lost their lives while fighting the war against Ukraine.
(With inputs from agencies)