KATHMANDU, Jan 22: The conflict in the Russia-Ukraine war has claimed the lives of Nepali citizens, particularly youths who have illegally joined the Russian army to participate in the war.
So far, the Russian government has officially informed the Nepal government that 10 Nepalis who have joined its army have died. However, the death toll is believed to have reached at least 12. According to the information received by the families of the deceased, two more people have lost their lives. Apart from that, suspicious news about one additional death was reported on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
Despite repeated calls from the Nepali government cautioning against such actions and emphasizing the absence of any policy for sending Nepalis to the Russian army, the trend of young people joining the conflict hasn’t stopped. Government agencies estimate that between 800 and 1000 Nepali youths have been recruited into the Russian army, with experts suggesting that the actual number could be even higher.
Meanwhile, through the Embassy of Nepal in Moscow, the government of Nepal has been urging the Russian government not to recruit Nepali citizens into the army. But Russia has continued the recruiting process.
In the face of Nepali citizens losing their lives in the conflict, the families of the deceased are yet to receive the bodies and compensation. The Department of Consular Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy in Moscow are taking initiatives in this regard. While the Russian government has shown a positive stance towards compensating the families in accordance with its laws, confusion remains about the compensation process, and the bodies have not been repatriated yet.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Uganda on Friday, Foreign Minister NP Saud met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and discussed this issue. In the meeting, he stated that there is a policy of not sending Nepali citizens to any other place except the British and Indian armies and asked him not to recruit Nepali citizens in their army and to return those who have already been recruited. Additionally, Saud sought the return of the deceased citizens' bodies, along with compensation for their families. Sources say that the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister did not give a clear answer to anything other than compensation during that meeting.
At the same time, as Nepali citizens join the Russian army and the problem is increasing day by day, Foreign Minister Saud himself has started preparing to go to Russia to initiate a solution. According to MoFA sources, Minister Saud is preparing to go to Russia within 15 days to a month.
“Now he has instructed the responsible staff of the MoFA to study the situation and inform him,” the MoFA source said. “He said to assess everything and provide detailed information including How many Nepalis are recruited in the Russian army? Where did they go from? How did they get recruited? His plan is to visit Russia personally after getting all the sufficient information,” the source stated.
Minister Saud has been preparing to go to Russia for two weeks, according to his private secretariat. He believes that this is a very big problem for Nepal and Nepali people.
“He also believes that this problem will be solved as there is longstanding friendship between Nepal and Russia. Therefore, he intends to personally visit Russia and take the necessary initiative,” said a member of the secretariat.