The government has halted providing labour permits for Russia and Ukraine.

Issuing a notice on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Employment said that labour approval for Russia and Ukraine has been suspended until further notice, citing the death of Nepalis in the war between the two countries.

The decision has been taken to prevent any untoward incident that may take place during organisational or personal visit to Russia, given the current situation, the department said.

“Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, reports of tragic deaths of Nepalis recruited in Russian army and ongoing studies into it, we’d like to notify everyone that labour permits for the two countries are suspended until further notice to avert any untoward incidents,” reads the notice, signed by the director of the department.

At least 10 Nepali nationals serving in the Russian army have been confirmed killed so far while fighting Ukrainian forces.

According to Milan Raj Tuladhar, Nepali ambassador to Russia, it is estimated that around 150–200 Nepali nationals have been serving in the Russian army.

On December 4, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had said that the government had information that some Nepali nationals are serving in the Ukrainian Army too. But the government does not have exact data on how many Nepali citizens are currently serving in Russian and Ukrainian armies.

The government has asked the Russian government to repatriate Nepalis currently serving in Russian forces as soon as possible, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, the ministry had stated that diplomatic efforts are on to rescue and repatriate Bibek Khatri, who was fighting for Russia and has been captured by the Ukrainian army.