Reuters: Sri Lanka to send delegation to return mercenaries fighting on behalf of Russia
The Sri Lankan government will be sending a delegation to Russia to identify and repatriate its citizens fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, Reuters reported on May 16.
According to reports, a top official in the Sri Lankan government stated that the government will send a delegation to Russia to investigate the fate of hundreds of nationals reportedly fighting in the war in Ukraine.
Social media campaigns operating on WhatsApp have targeted ex-military personnel in Sri Lanka, promising lucrative salaries and Russian citizenship to fight in Ukraine on Russia's behalf. The country's Defense Ministry warned its citizens not to be duped.
Online agents obtain the numbers of former servicemen in Sri Lanka and then arrange flights as well as documentation to bring them to Russia.
The campaign is especially successful in Sri Lanka, where the economy continues to struggle with the aftermath of the worst financial crisis in more than seven decades. Reuters reports that poverty rates have more than doubled since pre-pandemic levels, pushing hundreds of people to migrate.
Sri Lanka's government launched an investigation earlier this month into reports of Sri Lankan nationals with military backgrounds being trafficked to fight in Ukraine.
"The primary challenge lies in determining the exact number of individuals in Russia. As per unofficial sources, approximately 600-800 Sri Lankan individuals are in Russia," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya told reporters.
Sri Lanka has received over 288 complaints from families of nationals who have reportedly left the country to fight in Ukraine. The authorities have arrested seven people, including a retired general, in connection with the human trafficking scheme.
At least 16 Sri Lankan nationals have died fighting in Ukraine.
Russia has been recruiting foreigners from such countries as Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, and others to fight in Ukraine from the very beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Earlier this year, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced that Russia increasingly involves foreign mercenaries from countries with a "difficult economic situation" to fight in Ukraine.
According to the Geneva Conventions, mercenaries do not have the right to be combatants or prisoners at war and mercenary activity must be considered a crime.
Earlier in January, Nepal halted issuing foreign work permits for its citizens to work in Russia until further notice after growing numbers of Nepalese mercenaries have been reported killed fighting for the Russian military in Ukraine.
At least 10 Nepalis have been confirmed killed while serving in the Russian Armed Forces, and as many as 200 are estimated to be fighting for Russia as of January, according to Nepal's government.
Read also: India identifies ‘major human trafficking network’ luring Indians to fight for Russia in Ukraine
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