Nepalese police announced on Wednesday that they had arrested 12 people accused of illegally sending young men to be recruited into the Russian army, days after announcing the killing of six Nepalis fighting for Moscow.
Nepalese police spokesman Kumud Dhongel said that the arrested suspects obtained documents and visas to send Nepalis to Russia via India and the United Arab Emirates.
He explained to Agence France-Presse that “they were then recruited into the army.” “It is not yet known how many people were sent in this way, but the investigation is ongoing.”
Those sent to Russia were paid up to $8,500 each by intermediaries, the spokesman said.
Nepalese authorities said on Monday that six Nepalese mercenaries fighting in the ranks of the Russian army were killed in Ukraine, where another was captured.
The press release did not specify where, how or when the six Nepalese were killed.
Kathmandu urged Moscow to stop using Nepalese mercenaries and repatriate all serving men.
This statement comes in the wake of a warning issued by Kathmandu last August calling on its citizens not to enter into security-related contracts in war-torn countries.
Nepal is located more than 5,350 kilometers from the theater of war in Ukraine, caused by the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Many Nepalis travel abroad to earn money, and remittances are essential to Nepal’s economy, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP last year, according to the World Bank. Nepalese Gurkhas have long been inducted into the British Army and have been prized for their bravery ever since they first served in 1815 in then-British-ruled India.
