Three Nepalis serving Russian army killed in Ukraine war

The Nepali Embassy in Moscow has confirmed the death of three Nepalis associated with the Russian Army. Their deaths reportedly occurred during the war with Ukraine. According to officials, they lost their lives on Nov 15.

Government agencies are collaborating with the Russian army to get more information about this incident. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) had, on Aug 1, responded to reports of Nepalis joining the Russian Army after videos started circulating on various social media platforms like Telegram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook, showing Nepalis enlisting in the Russian army. In response to these developments, the ministry had issued a warning, underscoring the potential dangers and challenges these individuals might encounter by engaging in such activities.

The ministry had cautioned citizens to be vigilant and mindful of the risks associated with participating in foreign military endeavors, highlighting the complexities that could arise during potential rescue operations in unforeseen circumstances.

Historically, Nepal has permitted citizens to join the national armies of certain friendly countries as “established agreements”, but there is no policy allowing Nepali citizens to enlist in other foreign armies. MoFA said, “The Government of Nepal does not have a policy in place to authorize Nepali citizens to join foreign armies, except in cases where Nepali citizens are recruited into the national armies of some friendly countries based on established agreements.” Moreover, citizens are strongly discouraged from seeking employment in security-related roles in conflict-ridden nations.

On Oct 28, The New York Times reported that Nepalis are associated with both the Russian and Ukrainian sides of the conflict.