Inadequate Government Efforts To Rescue Nepalis Serving Russian Military

Currently, Russia and Ukraine are at war. Russia is a powerful country, whereas Ukraine is a sovereign state that broke away from Russia. Russia is still launching attacks against Ukraine. Following the outbreak of the conflict, Russia recruited people from a variety of countries into its army. Many Nepalis have also joined the Russian military.

There may be temptation, assurance, and attraction to join the Russian military. But those who pushed them to leave their nation in order to raise their family and earn some money for their children’s education have undoubtedly given fuel to the fire. Under such conditions, many people risked their lives by joining the Russian military, but no structure has been formed to give any type of gratuity or pension other than the money supplied by the government. This recruiting is not based on a troop exchange agreement or other national-level arrangements that would assist the move.

Warring nations require armies to battle. As a result, Russia has been recruiting people from other countries into its armed forces, but the Nepali government has not signed an agreement and has no official statistics on this. Many Nepalis have died as a result of the war. It has been reported that the figure has reached 39. However, the Russian government has not repatriated their bodies to Nepal. The number of Nepalese who joined the Russian army has yet to be ascertained.

This is a complete picture that depicts our poverty and limitations. Reports has established that Nepalis have joined both the Russian and Ukrainian military. Although the number of Nepalis who have joined the Ukrainian army is yet to be confirmed. There is no data or confirmation of casualties. Nepalis are now scattered all around the globe. Not only for employment, vacation, or other reasons, they also joined the military and travelled to India and the United Kingdom.

The two nations agreed to recruit our citizens into their military. This has a reference with an extended past. The government came to an agreement with the countries on numerous parameters. However, Nepali residents have recently been informally registered in the military of fighting countries. The Nepalese government should not lag behind in matters such as searching for its details and data, negotiating with the concerned party, calling them back, compensating them, and instructing those countries not to recruit our citizens into their country's military without first informing Nepalese authorities.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has said that he is seeking diplomatic solutions for the matter, but it is late to make such effort. This is a sensitive topic, the more it is delayed, the worse will be the consequence. It is a war, and people are dying every day and Nepali people serving the military are not excluded from it. The unknown status of 272 persons who have traveled to the region and are contactless is very disturbing. Where did so many Nepalis disappear? Why are they not able to communicate their family and loved ones?

Reports suggest that there are more Nepalis in the Russian military than previously indicated. They should be brought back as quickly as possible. It is the government's obligation to safeguard its people, even if they volunteered to join the Russian military illegally. The government should act immediately to save those lives and safeguard them; otherwise, more Nepalese citizens will lose their lives in the war.