Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has recruited 202 Indian citizens for the war.
This is stated in a statement by the countryʼs Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They say that 119 citizens were returned to the country — they were released early from the Russian army. Another 26 Indians died, and seven are missing.
The Indian government is currently working to repatriate 50 more of its citizens.
It was also possible to return the remains of 10 Indian citizens who died in Russiaʼs war against Ukraine.
The countryʼs authorities have transferred DNA samples from family members of 18 Indians who were presumed dead or missing to Russia in order to establish their identities.
In October, Ukrainian army fighters captured a 22-year-old Indian citizen when they first sent him on an assault. He said he first came to Russia to study at university, then went to prison for seven years for drugs. The man didnʼt want to serve time in prison, so he signed a contract with the Russian army.
Foreigners in the Russian army
In addition to Russians, over 100 citizens from 32 countries are held in Ukrainian captivity. The largest number of foreign prisoners is from Central Asia.
The number of such prisoners is growing every year. The Coordination Headquarters explains that more foreigners have begun to sign contracts with the Russian army, which is why they are becoming more often captured.
As of June 2025, 6 162 foreigners without Russian citizenship had signed contracts with the Russian army, while for the whole of 2024 there were 6 011 of them.
According to statistics from the Coordination Headquarters, in July of this year, the share of foreigners (except Russians) among all prisoners reached 49%. For comparison: for the whole of last year, there were 42% of them, in 2023 — 9%, in 2022 — 1%.
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