New Delhi: The government has confirmed that 51 Indian nationals recruited into the Russian armed forces have died in the Russia-Ukraine war, and that it is now tracking 227 cases of Indians who entered Russian military service. The latest official account marks a sharp rise from earlier parliamentary and court disclosures, which had placed the number of known deaths first in the mid-twenties and later near fifty, and the overall caseload a little above 200.
According to officials, most of the men travelled to Russia between 2022 and 2025 on student, tourist or work-related visas after being promised civilian jobs in construction, hospitality, cleaning, cooking and other support roles. Families and court filings say agents confiscated passports on arrival, pushed the men into short military contracts, and sent them toward the front after limited training.
The government has told the Supreme Court that some contracts were signed voluntarily after recruits were offered a signing bonus of about 5,000 dollars, a monthly salary of about 2,500 dollars, social benefits, a path to Russian citizenship, and compensation of about 168,000 dollars in the event of death.
The death count has climbed in stages as identifications improved. In December 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs told the Rajya Sabha that 202 Indians were believed to have been recruited since 2022, that 26 had died, and that seven were missing according to the Russian side. By May 2026, a status report before the Supreme Court put the number of recruits at 217 and reported deaths at 49, with six confirmed missing and the status of 23 others still unknown.
In late July, additional counsel for the Centre told the court that 219 Indians had been in Russian forces, that 139 had been discharged, and that 51 were reported dead or missing, with the mortal remains of 29 already brought back. A subsequent official confirmation placed the number of deaths at 51. The government’s latest tally of 227 cases indicates that more names have been added as families, missions abroad and Russian authorities exchanged records.
Diplomatic engagement has produced a large number of discharges even as casualties rose. Officials say 139 Indians were released from contracts after repeated approaches to Moscow, including discussions at the highest political level after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue during his 2024 visit to Russia. The Russian side had earlier said it had stopped recruiting Indians, but new cases continued to appear in 2024 and 2025.
By the end of July 2026 the Ministry of External Affairs said about two dozen Indians were still believed to be in service and that efforts to secure their early discharge were continuing. The embassy in Moscow has helped discharged men obtain travel documents and tickets, including through the Indian Community Welfare Fund.
Identification and repatriation of the dead have been slow because some remains lie in or near active combat zones and because Russian casualty information is incomplete. The government has said it assisted in bringing back the mortal remains of a first group of ten Indians and in arranging local cremation for two others.
DNA samples from relatives of deceased or missing men have been shared with Russian authorities so that bodies in morgues can be matched. The Supreme Court, hearing petitions by families from Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and other states, directed the Ministry of External Affairs to appoint a nodal officer in Delhi as a single point of contact, to arrange DNA tests, to help families file compensation claims with the Russian Embassy, and to share information in vernacular languages.
The court noted that many young men had been duped with job promises, that passports had been seized, and that families had received neither remains nor payouts.
The men come largely from northern and central states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Relatives have described months without contact, conflicting reports from agents, and visits to recruitment offices and hospitals in Russia in search of death certificates.
Some bodies could not be recovered from combat areas. In at least one case an Indian recruit is serving a prison sentence in Russia. Indian law does not permit citizens to fight for a foreign army, and enforcement agencies have pursued recruitment networks that advertised high-paying work abroad.
The Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly warned citizens against overseas job offers made by unregistered agents, saying such offers can lead to forced military service and risk to life. Officials say the government remains in contact with Russian authorities on the remaining personnel, on verification of the missing, and on the return of identified remains.
For the 51 families already told that their sons or brothers are dead, and for those still waiting for confirmation among the 227 recorded cases, the official numbers have not ended the wait for bodies, documents and the compensation that contracts had promised.
