By Ashis Biswas
Despite a Russian commitment not to recruit Nepali youths to fight in its war against Ukraine, not much official information about the condition of those still engaged in the battle zone is available yet. Nepalese authorities have been strongly urging upon Russia to stop using young Gurkhas in its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine launched in Feb 2022.
Their efforts seem to have finally borne fruit, if recent Nepalese media accounts are any indication. However, the continuing lack of reliable information about the fate of such foreign recruits fighting for Russia, continues to worry Kathmandu.
Media analysts are divided in their assessment of the diplomatic situation. The Russian commitment not to use Nepali citizens in its operations is perceived as a big step in the right direction.
However, not all observers agree. Russia had always maintained that its army never used mercenaries in any conflict and there was no change of policy in the Ukraine war either. Therefore too much should not be read into Russia’s ‘commitment’, announced earlier this year.
No wonder the Nepalese authorities do not feel reassured by the Russian response. It did not address most Nepal’s pressing concern — immediately to stop scores of mostly jobless Nepalese youth from joining the war as participating combatants, legally or illegally. Despite repeated attempts, Russian officials have apparently not answered specific questions .Kathmandu had asked — how many Nepalese were working on the front, how many had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner by Ukrainians?
Even as the uneasy one-sided dialogue continued between Russia and Nepal, with the latter not making much headway, the Nepal government was being pressed by the family members/relatives of many jobless youths who had left home to fight ,as the conflict showed no signs of coming to an early end.
Facts available so far do not seem to jell with Russia’s claims about not recruiting foreigners or mercenaries in its anti-Ukraine military campaign. There were detailed reports in the international media about the Russians easing/liberalising conditions for trained/untrained combatants to join the battle against Ukraine, as the hostilities continued over months, then years, .It is common knowledge how the Russian mercenary Wagner group led by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin fought pitched battles against the Ukraine army.
This was before Prigozhin himself died in a plane crash shortly after serious differences developed between him and the Russian army. He was accused of turning against Moscow and was ordered to withdraw from the operations in Ukraine. .He was told to stay put till further orders in Belarus.
Meanwhile, media reports confirmed the presence of Cubans, Somalians, and Kazhaks among non-Russians fighting Ukraine forces in various capacities. There were also accounts of Indians and Nepalese youths participating in the war. Russian media on the other hand, reported arresting, even killing British, US and German mercenaries (volunteers?) during the same period.
GOI took up the matter at the highest level with Moscow, after a few Indian families reported how some of their mostly jobless relatives had either been killed or reported missing in action, according to unconfirmed reports, often received from unofficial eye witnesses, from the war zone. Officially, the Russian government promised to look into the reported incidents, but there were hardly any follow-up effort!
The situation in Nepal was totally different. Nepalese youths especially young Gurkhas were keen to join the Russian forces in a mercenary capacity.. Nepal Government officials admit that the prevailing joblessness and lack of opportunities drive a section of youths to migrate regularly for work. Kathmandu also allows interested youths to join the Indian and British Armies as regular soldiers and to work for the UN peace keeping forces in various troubled areas worldwide. Their remittances result in the country earning valuable foreign exchange as well. .
Thus, the number of Nepalese youths working abroad and sending back remittances is around 2.2 million at present, but very few of them are mercenaries. In India , the number of serving Nepali soldiers is around 40,000.
The post Ukraine war exodus among a section of Nepali youths was triggered by a campaign launched by various recruiting agencies. These groups announced that ‘ volunteers’ willing to join the battle against Ukraine would be paid $2000 a month, and enjoy other facilities. On completing a year’s service the recruit would be eligible to apply for Russian citizenship and residency. Applicants would be sent to the war zone after training.
Unofficial agency representatives often charged Rs 1 million (Nepali rupee) from applicants who took heavy loans, to provide them with necessary’ visas’, plane fare and other expenses, before they were sent to the war zone for their initial training.
As of now, there is no firm estimate as to how many actually managed to join as mercenaries. A few local recruiting agents were arrested and Kathmandu has now banned applicants from accepting job offers from Russia. But some people still manage to slip out illegally and reach the war zone after making a detour through diversionary trips to India, the Middle East or Singapore.
In more concrete terms, people from at least 840 families have approached Kathmandu authorities to help trace their ‘missing’ relatives, suspected of or known to have, joined the Russian army. They feel deeply disturbed by unofficial reports reaching them from usually unreliable sources and want their government to hell.
The government while doing the best it can, is not even aware of how many people from Nepal are presently in the area. It has been estimated that around 16000 people may be ‘active’ in the troubled areas but keeping track of their movements could be a nightmare. In any case the figure is considered too high. For the rest, at 118 persons have been officially known to have been killed, while 132 are missing in action. At least 219 have been hurt, some very badly.
Few details are available as to the disposal of the bodies of the victims, the medical treatment etc for the wounded and the compensation of any paid to the relatives of those killed, so far. Russian officials receive all complaints for the record and have begun an investigation of their own. However, no one really expects a final settlement for these and other related issues until the war comes to an end.
It is not as though the behaviour of the Ukraine Government has been more sympathetic/better for anxious Nepalis. At least six Nepalis are known to have been taken prisoner by pro-Kyiv forces. There has been no response from Kyiv to anxious queries from Nepal about their fate so far.
Within the UN and in other fora. Nepal has distanced itself from the generally neutral Asian position on the Russia/Ukraine conflict, expressing its support and solidarity with Ukraine. In concrete terms, its gesture does not seem to have made much of a difference anyway. (IPA Service)
