The family of Dinesh Nayak, a 23-year-old resident of Brahmadev in Bhimdatta Municipality-9, Kanchanpur, has appealed to the government to facilitate the repatriation of his mortal remains after official confirmation of his death while serving in the Russian army.

Dinesh travelled to Russia in June 2023 on a student visa. Within two months of his arrival, however, he was recruited into the Russian military. He remained in regular contact with his family during his initial training period. At the time, he told his mother, Kamala Devi, that he was being deployed to the front lines and would call again in two weeks.

He was never heard from again. His last communication was on November 26, 2023.

For nearly two years, the Nayak family lived in the hope of his return. That hope was shattered earlier this month when they received confirmation of his death. The confirmation followed a DNA test after Kamala Devi provided samples in Kathmandu on February 17 upon the request of the authorities.

On March 13, the Nepali Embassy in Russia sent a formal letter to the Department of Consular Services confirming that the DNA samples matched and that Dinesh had been killed in action. The exact date of his death remains unknown to the family.

“We waited so long, hoping for a miracle,” said Karnasingh Nayak, Dinesh’s father. “Now that the news has come, my only wish is to see his body one last time. I want to perform his final rites here in his birthplace.”

The family has been asked to travel to Russia to complete insurance procedures and receive the remains, but Karnasingh said they lack the financial means to do so. “I appeal to all concerned authorities to bring his body back to Nepal,” he added. “We cannot afford to travel there.”

Dinesh was the younger of two sons. His elder brother, Ashok, who works in India, returned home after hearing the news. His mother remains inconsolable, recalling his final words. “He told me he had gone there to earn for the family,” Kamala Devi said through tears. “He did not earn anything; instead, he lost his life and left us in this agony.”