MEA says in touch with 50 Indian nationals who want discharge from Russian Army

"Prime Minister Modi raised this matter with President Putin during his recent visit to Russia. The Russian side have responded positively to our request. Both sides are working for an early discharge of Indian nationals and hopefully they will come back soon," Jaiswal said while addressing a press briefing today.

"We have about 50 Indian nationals who have got in touch with us who want to be discharged. Their family members also met us. This particular issue has been raised by us at all levels, including at the leadership level," the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said.

"In addition, the MEA spokesperson said that "10 Indian nationals have returned from Russia before."

Last week, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra stated that Prime Minister Modi, during his meeting with Russian President, took a strong stance on the issue of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army and the Russian government has assured an "early discharge" of these Indians from the army service.

Addressing a special briefing Kwatra had said, "The Prime Minister strongly raised the issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who have been misled into the service of the Russian army. This was taken strongly by the Prime Minister, and the Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian army."

Meanwhile, Jaiswal said that both countries just wrapped up the annual summit and as part of the summit a decision was taken that figured in the joint statement as well that the next round of India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission Talks will be held and "we will take forward the bilateral collaboration forward with a robust agenda."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Russia on July 8-9 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.

Following this, PM Modi also invited the Russian President to visit India in 2025 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

Jaiswal in his weekly media briefing today also addressed the issue of the Indian vessel which had capsized near Oman and stated that a search and rescue operation is currently underway adding that Omani authorities are working together to locate the missing crew members.

"Search and rescue operation underway. The Indian Navy has been carrying out search and rescue operations since the ship capsized on July 15. Omani authorities are also carrying out search and rescue operations," said the MEA spokesperson.

"Out of 16 members, 9 crew members (8 Indians and one Sri Lankan) have been rescued. One crew member has died in the incident. Search and rescue operations are underway in the area to find the remaining crew members," he said.

The Indian Navy's mission deployed warship INS Teg, rendering rescued nine crew members, including eight Indians, who were on an oil tanker that capsized off Oman coast on July 15, the Indian Navy said on Wednesday.

The nine crew members rescued from the Comoros-flagged vessel Falcon Prestige included eight Indians and one Sri Lankan national.

The The Prestige Falcon, with a crew of 13 Indians and three Sri Lankans, capsized about 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah, Oman on July 15. Search and rescue efforts in coordination with Oman authorities have been in progress since July 16. (ANI)