Kathmandu, Jan 3: The increase of mercenaries in the Russian army is credited to the attractive plan for foreigners brought by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. In the last week of September 2022, State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly or Russia, passed a bill.
That bill a provision that paves an easy way for the foreign nationals who join the Russian army and other military services to get Russian citizenship card within one year of service. Russian President Putin authenticated the bill into a law on May 16, 2023.
With the approval of the bill, young people from any country who have served in the Russian army for one year, cab easily obtain Russian citizenship along with their spouses or family members.
Influenced by the ‘attractive’ provision of easy entry into the Russian army and easily obtaining Russian citizenship card, many Nepali youths have been attracted to the Russian army. However, this has not come without costs. due to the ‘attractive’ provision of easy entry into the Russian army and citizenship. So far, 10 Nepali people were killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war with them of them being victims lately. All of the deceased were recruited in the Russian army.
The latest victims of the war have been identified as Hari Aryal of Syangja district, Raj Kumar Giri of Dhading and Bharat Bahadur Shah of Kailali, according to a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal. Of them, Giri and Shah were killed on December 3, 2023, and Aryal, who had gone missing on November 29, 2023, died the same day, it has been estimated.
Other Nepali youths who were killed in the war are Sandip Thapaliya of Gorkha district, Rupak Karki of Banaganga Municipality-1 in Kapilvastu, Dewan Rai of Pokhara, Kaski, Pritam Karki of Putalibazaar Municipality-5 in Syangja, Raj Kumar Rokka of Melung Rural Municipality-6 in Dolakha and Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam Municipality-5 in Ilam, according to a statement issued by the Ministry.
Similarly, four Nepali people, who joined the Russian army, was captured and made war prisoners by the Ukrainian army during the war.
Although the government of Nepal has asked Nepali people not to go to the conflict-affected countries Russia and Ukraine, Nepali people going to Russia for job opportunities especially joining the Russian army has continued. Many factors including poverty and increasing unemployment have been blamed for Nepali youths leaving the country for foreign lands seeking jobs.
