The number of Nepali nationals serving in the Russian army and held captive by Ukrainian forces has reached four, with Kyiv setting some conditions for Nepal to meet before their release.

Earlier reports said two Nepali nationals serving in the Russian army as mercenaries were held by the Ukrainian security forces as captives. According to Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, the number of Nepali nationals in Ukrainian detention has now reached four. Kathmandu has scaled up diplomatic efforts to free them, Saud added.

“We have received some correspondence from the Ukrainian side regarding the release of the Nepali nationals. They have put forth some conditions,” Saud told the Post.

As some Nepalis are fighting against Ukraine on Russia’s behalf, Kyiv wants to be assured of the kind of punishment Nepal will give them after their release. “That is their major concern,” Saud said.

A Nepali diplomat said the government has requested the United States, which has good ties with Ukraine, to help secure the release of the Nepalis. Ukrainian authorities have also asked the Nepali side not to allow its citizens to join the Russian army.

It is not the government that is sending the Nepali nationals to be recruited into the Russian army, a senior foreign ministry official said. “We have asked Nepali citizens not to visit Russia without valid student visas and government scholarships,” the official added. The Nepal government also issued a public notice earlier, asking its citizens not to join the Russian army.

Officials in Kathmandu said they await a response from the Ukrainian side. The Nepali Embassy in Germany is accredited to look after Ukraine affairs. Nepali Ambassador to Germany Ram Kaji Khadka is trying to convey the concerns of Nepali nationals about the captives to Ukraine, the foreign ministry official said.

The Nepali embassy has already sent two diplomatic notes to the Ukrainian foreign ministry seeking the safe release of the Nepalis detained by Kyiv’s forces. The official said it is yet to get any response.

A Europe-based Nepali diplomat said Nepali nationals who were ready to serve in Russian or Ukrainian armies out of desperation fell prey to recruitment agents and some middlemen despite Nepal’s official policy on its citizens taking up foreign employment.

“Our citizens should understand international law. They should not fall prey to middlemen and foreign employment agencies. Now the state and citizens are both paying the price. But the government is deploying all available channels for their release,” the Nepali diplomat said.

Nepali officials are studying the correspondence and conditions set by the Ukrainians. The government will make its position public soon, according to Minister Saud.

After the deaths of six Nepalis in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and amid reports of over 200 Nepali nationals having joined the Russian fighting force, the government has sent a diplomatic note to Moscow asking it to stop the recruitment of Nepali nationals.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said more than 200 Nepalis could be currently serving in the Russian army.

Talking to reporters at his party office at Parisdanda in Kathmandu on Monday, Dahal said the government is investigating the case of Nepali citizens serving in the Russian army. Almost 22 months since Russia invaded Ukraine following years of conflict between the two countries, there are as yet no clear signs of how peace will be restored.

The Nepal government doesn’t permit its citizens to serve in foreign armies except in India and the United Kingdom. But that hasn’t stopped Nepali youths from independently joining the militaries of several other countries. Reports from various districts suggest that some Nepalis fighting alongside the Russians have gone missing.

However, the government lacks comprehensive data on how many Nepalis have signed up with Russian and Ukrainian forces since February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine with the goal of toppling the Kyiv regime.

Some people, duped by manpower agents, reported to the Nepali Embassy in Moscow that middlemen were active in bringing people to Russia and getting them employed in the army there.

Based on the information provided by Nepal’s mission in Moscow as well as by individuals who returned from Russia, Nepal Police on December 5 arrested members of a gang involved in sending Nepali youths to fight for the Russians.

The police arrested 12 individuals after an operation that lasted several days at various locations in Kathmandu. They were allegedly sending Nepali youths to Russia via India.

“Though Russian authorities are yet to respond to Nepal’s diplomatic note to stop the recruitment of the Nepali nationals in its fight against Ukraine, the flow of Nepalis into Russia has come down,” said Milan Raj Tuladhar, the Nepali ambassador to Russia. “We have not been informed by the Russian side whether the recruitment of Nepali nationals has stopped.”

On August 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement urging Nepali citizens not to join the armies of war-torn countries. “The ministry’s attention has been drawn to reports on social networking sites that Nepali citizens have joined foreign armies,” said the statement.

Nepal’s policy does not allow its citizens to join foreign armies except for their recruitment into the national armies of some friendly countries as per traditional bilateral agreements.

Meanwhile, Minister Saud said a request was again made with Qatari authorities to help free Bipin Joshi from the captivity of the Hamas militants. Joshi went missing on October 7 after Hamas launched a cross-border raid of Israel.