Chandani Bista of Sundarpur in Bedkot Municipality-9 had been taking part in a protest programme organised by kin of Nepali youths serving in the Russian army. She was in Kathmandu for the protest, demanding safe repatriation of her husband Birajan and other Nepalis in the Russian army. Chandani, who came home for some work, was on her way to Kathmandu again for the protest on May 3. The Bista family was informed about Birajan’s death on the very day.

The Bista family received unverified news of his death two days ago. On May 3, an Indian national informed the family of the death over WhatsApp. “The Indian man named Ankit said that he knew the body of Birajan after seeing his wrist watch,” said Sita, Birajan’s sister-in-law. “He also said that he saw his face clearly. Then we decided to perform the 13-day death rituals.”

The bereaved family on Thursday performed Birajan’s final rites by making a dummy of Kush grass (Desmostachya bipinnata)—a Hindu practice observed when the body of the dead is not found—on the bank of Mahakali River. The family decided to perform the death rituals after Parashuram Chaudhary of Bardiya and Mahesh Chand of Surkhet, who are also in the Russian army with Birajan, verified his demise. His wife Chandani and son Biswas have been observing mourning rituals.

Forty-three-year-old Birajan had been serving in the Russian army for the past five months. According to the family, he had reached Russia on December 4, 2023 through New Delhi. Birajan’s younger brother Nirajan and their distant relative Lokendra Bista went together and were recruited in the Russian army. According to the families, they paid Rs700,000 each to the agent for recruitment in the Russian force.

Birajan had served in the Nepal Army for 10 years. He had worked in Singapore and the UAE as the security guard in the past.

The trio were recruited in the Russian army on May 6. They were not deployed on the battlefield until March. They were in contact with the family members until they were dispatched to the war zone. They had been almost out of contact after April.

“We could contact him after 14 days at first. He again returned to war after two days,” said Chandani. “It had been their routine of going to the war zone, returning after one or two weeks, taking a rest for one-two days and going to the battlefield again.” According to her, the last time Birajan called her through his friend’s cell phone from the battlefield and informed that he was okay there.

Sita surmised that Nirajan asked his friends to inform his brother’s demise to the family so he could talk to his relatives. According to her, the family has not had any contact with Nirajan either over the past two weeks. “We don’t know where he (Nirajan) is now. When we had a telephone conversation we had asked both of them to return home but they refused,” she added.

Birajan’s mother, Janaki, 66, still cannot accept her son’s demise. She hopes that her sons will return home. “We had regular contact with them in the initial days. He (Birajan) called us in the interval of some days after he was sent to the war. We were awaiting his call but we were informed about his death,” said Janaki, tears welling in her eyes. She is further worried as the family does not have contact with Nirajan as well for the past few days.

The kin and kith of Nepalis serving in the Russian army are restless. Lokendra’s mother, Kamala, is anxious about her son’s safety. She is heartbroken following the death news of Birajan. Kamala demands that the government take initiatives for the safe repatriation of her son and other Nepali youths from Russia.

The family members of Nepali youths serving in the Russian army have been staging protests in the national capital demanding their safe return home. They have also forwarded a 13-point demand to the government including the safe repatriation of the Nepalis serving in the Russian army, compensation and treatment to those who were injured in the war, safe evacuation of five Nepalis who were taken hostage by the Ukrainian army, repatriating the dead bodies of those killed in the war, dignified compensation as fixed by the Russian government, and finding out the whereabouts of those who have gone missing while fighting for the Russian army.

The family members have also demanded the numbers and details of Nepalis serving in the Russian army be released and action taken against the middlemen and fixers who lured them to join the Russian army.

The victims’ kin also demand that all kinds of facilities, perks and remuneration that the Nepali nationals get from the Russian army be paid from Nepal and that a minister-level mechanism be formed to carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation works.

As many as 295 people have registered complaints at the Department of Consular Services seeking repatriation of their relatives serving in the Russian army whose whereabouts are not known.