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Nepali mercenaries are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, lured to kill far from their Himalayan homeland by promises of a passport and cash, but wounded returnees warn anyone tempted to join the war: “Do not come.”

While Nepali soldiers-for-hire can bank in a month nearly double what they could earn in a year back home, conditionsare brutal and many have been killed or wounded.

 “I watched my friends die in front of me,” said Surya Sharma, who asked to use a pseudonym for legal reasons.

 “Nepalis going probably cannot even imagine how horrific the war is.”

 Shortly after the 24-year-old underwent basic training with Russian forces, his unit was attacked on their way to a frontline in eastern Ukraine.

 “When the bombs and bullets were raining, I thought my life was ending, that was it,” he said. “I was there to die.”

 Combining tough Himalayan terrain with grinding poverty, Nepal has long been a source of ferocious soldiers to fight others’ wars, with the British army’s Gurkhas the best-known example.

 But it is only legal for Nepalis to sign up for combat with a foreign military if there is a government agreement in place—which only applies to Britain and India.

 From early on in its war in Ukraine, Russia has used mercenaries, including the paramilitary group Wagner, before its aborted mutiny last June.

 Neither Russia nor Ukraine will provide figures for how many foreign fighters are in their militaries, nor the number they are holding as prisoners of war.

 But the Nepali government says more than 200 of the country's citizens have enlisted in the Russian army since it invaded Ukraine two years ago.

 Sharma believes there could be 10 times as many, including students, ex-soldiers and even former Maoist combatants.

 “We were among the early ones to join, but now there are many Nepalis, there must be 2,500 to 3,000,” he said.

 At least 12 Nepalis have been killed and another five are prisoners of war in Ukraine, the foreign ministry in Kathmandu said.

 Returnees say the true number of dead is also much higher, and according to local media Nepalis have fought for Ukraine too.

 To attract fighters, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Russian citizenship—which allows recipients to work—on top of monthly salaries as high as $2,200.

 That tempts some in a country with a GDP per capita of little more than $1,300, according to the World Bank—one of the lowest in Asia.

 ‘Like a movie’

Videos by Nepali recruits undergoing military training in Russia started to surface on TikTok last year, prompting one former veteran to enlist in July.

 “It is a war, and we are taking a risk,” the 39-year-old told AFP, asking not to be named because of the illegality of his actions.

 The man, who had served for more than a decade in Nepal’s army before working for the police in Dubai, accumulated about $15,000 in six months before being wounded and having to return to Nepal, and is using it to build a house.

 “If there were good employment opportunities in Nepal, no one would go,” he added.

 Sharma, the 24-year-old, suffers searing pain every step he takes from the metal fragments buried in his legs.

He says he was duped by a Nepali agent.

 Every year, hundreds of thousands of Nepalis seek employment abroad—400,000 officially, many others illicitly—and many pay agents thousands of dollars to facilitate their journeys.

 Sharma borrowed money to go to Russia on a student visa but discovered he was not allowed to work, and the only job he found was to fight.

 “I had loans to pay at home and couldn't send money,” he said in his rented room in Kathmandu.

 Despite having no prior military experience, he “chose to join the army because I had heard that the money was good. It was not because I wanted to, but my situation forced me to.”

 He underwent a medical check-up before two months of basic training.

 “I was employed with the government, but I’ve heard there are Nepalis fighting in private forces too,” he said.

 The recruits—15 of them Nepalis—woke at six to start the drills.

 “We learnt firing positions, how to make bunkers and how to target drones,” he said.

 But “the language is also a problem,” he added. “We cannot understand the instructions they give, and in the battleground that can be dangerous.”

 Sent to the frontlines in Ukraine, Sharma’s unit—mostly Russian, with six Nepalis—was ambushed even before they reached Kupiansk in the east.

 Explosions killed several of Sharma’s comrades and he was wounded in the legs and hand.

 “Sometimes it felt like a movie.”

 He spent months in hospital before deserting as he neared recovery to seek help from Nepal’s embassy in Moscow.

 “I just couldn’t return” to the front, he said. “So, I took a risk to return to Nepal, thinking I will either go to jail or home.”

 ‘Do not come’

Nepal has banned its citizens from working in Russia or Ukraine in any capacity, to try to prevent their recruitment.

 At least 12 people have been arrested in Nepal for sending people to fight for Russia.

 The men are often taken via India or the United Arab Emirates and taught elaborate lies to dupe authorities, say police.

 “Nepal is a country that believes in non-alignment and in peace,” Nepal’s Foreign Minister NP Saud told AFP.

 “We do not have an agreement with Russia and have requested immediate return of those people.”

 The Russian embassy in Kathmandu did not respond to requests for comment.

 Speaking to AFP by phone from his Russian hospital bed, one wounded Nepali warned his countrymen to resist the lure.

 “No matter how much you prepare, it does not work when the bombs fall and the drones attack,” said the 27-year-old.

 “I request others—do not come.”

One more Nepali youth—Sajan Gurung (32) from Lamjung district—has died while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, pushing further the toll of Nepalis in the war and raising questions about the safety of more than 200 youths that are reportedly involved in the war. Leaving behind his parents, wife and son, Gurung had headed for Russia three months ago and joined the Russian army. His family came to know about his death five days ago. 

Though the government claims to have intensified diplomatic efforts with Russia to address some of the key concerns surrounding the Nepali youths involved in the war, nothing has been done as yet to repatriate the youths. The government maintains that the Kremlin should have stopped the Nepalis from joining the Russian army in the first place.  Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said recently that approximately 200 Nepalis have been serving in the Russian army, but independent observers have said upon their return from Russia that the number could be much higher. Till date, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the death of more than 10 Nepalis in the war. 

In the wake of mounting deaths in the war, the Department of Foreign Employment has stopped issuing work permits to those seeking jobs in Russia and Ukraine.  The government seems to have no idea about the exact number of Nepalis fighting the war, the number of prisoners of war and the number of those injured in action. Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud had pledged to seek those details, in vain.

Hari Prasad Aryal (23) of Syangja has died in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially informed Bodhraj Kunwar, Chairman of Waling Municipality-14, about the death of Aryal on Tuesday.

According to a family source, he went to Dubai after resigning from the Nepal Army almost after three years.

He had reached Russia from Dubai on October 20 and joined the Russian army after five days.

Aryal was in contact with the family members till December 5 and went out of contact since then.

Pritam Karki of Putalibazaar Municipality-5, Syangja, who had joined the Russian army, had also lost his life a month ago during the war.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the death of three more Nepali men in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. They have been identified as Hari Prasad Aryal of Syangja, Bhar Bahadur Shah of Kailali and Rajkumar Giri of Dhading. Earlier, the government had confirmed the deaths of seven Nepali nationals. 

There is a widespread concern that there could be many more Nepali casualties that have gone unreported. A few weeks back, the government had said that at least 100 Nepalis were missing and scores of others were injured. 

The Nepal government has urged Moscow to urgently provide information about the number of Nepalis serving in the Russian army, stop recruitment of Nepali nationals and facilitate the repatriation of Nepalis killed in the war. A growing number of people have been visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs these days, with a request to locate their missing loved ones in Russia. 

So far, Russia has not responded to Nepal’s concern. The Nepal government is partly responsible for this situation. Soon after the war broke out in 2022, the Nepal government didn’t issue any advisory for those planning to visit Russia or Ukraine. Even when news broke out about Nepali nationals fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, the government showed no urgency to inquire the respective embassies of Russia and Ukraine about the matter. 

The government was compelled to act only after reports about Nepalis dying in the war started emerging through friends, families and social media. Various national and international media also covered these incidents. Soon after, police busted a ring involved in sending Nepalis to Russia on visit visas to fight the war with Ukraine.  

Now, the government is grappling to ascertain the actual number of Nepalis serving in the Russian army and their current status. Recently, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said there could be approximately 200 Nepalis serving in the Russian army, yet officials hint at a possibly higher figure. Compounding the issue is the situation of Nepali hostages held by the Ukrainian army. Bibek Khatri, Siddhartha Dhakal, Bikas Rai and Pratik Pun are among those captured by the Ukrainian army. The talks for their release have hit an impasse. 

The government is now on a frantic mission, attempting to discern the status of its citizens fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, exacerbated by the lack of cooperation from Moscow. This has prompted a tightening of visit visa rules, with a mandatory No Objection Letter (NoC) for travel to Russia and other transit countries. Shockingly, certain manpower agencies, according to some media reports, persist in training Nepali nationals for enlistment in the Russian army.

Though Moscow says foreigners cannot be allowed to join the Russian army, President Vladamir Putin in 2022 signed a decree making it easier for foreigners to obtain Russian citizenship if they join the army. As reported by the Moscow Times, the decree said: “Foreign citizens or stateless persons who sign a contract to serve in the Russian Armed force… for at least one year and take part in military operations for at least six months, will be eligible for the simplified application procedures.”  

Recently, Putin ordered the country’s military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million. According to the Associated Press, Putin’s decree was released by the Kremlin on Friday and took force immediately. It brings the overall number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops.

Beyond Nepal, Russia's recruitment of foreign nationals, including those from Cambodia and Cuba, adds a global dimension to the conflict. Reports indicate Moscow's pursuit of formal labor contracts with other nations, underscoring the far-reaching consequences of this recruitment strategy.

Foreign policy experts emphasize the need for high-level communication between Kathmandu and Moscow to resolve Nepal's concerns. As Nepal's Ambassador to Moscow Milan Tuladhar engages in talks, a former foreign minister stresses the need for political leadership to step in. If needed, they say, Nepal should ask big countries such as India, the US, and China to talk with Moscow and Kyiv about Nepal’s concerns.

Three more Nepalis serving in the Russian army have died.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of three more Nepalis serving in the Russian army.

With this, the number of Nepalis killed in the Russia-Ukraine war has reached 10.

The deceased have been identified as Raj Kumar Giri of Dhading, Hari Prasad Aryal of Syangja and Bharat Bahadur Shah of Kailali, according to Amrit Bahadur Rai, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The government has urged the Russian government to send the bodies to Nepalis who lost their lives in the war.

Rai said that the government has urged the Russian government not to recruit Nepali citizens and to return the Nepali citizens who have joined the Russian army.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud recently disclosed that over 200 Nepalis are serving in the Russian Army. Russia is recruiting Nepali nationals to increase its military strength in its war with Ukraine without sharing any official information with the Nepali government.

On the basis of complaints from concerned families, Minister Saud revealed that around 100 Nepalis remain unaccounted for, and several others are injured. The government has written to Moscow, requesting assistance in ascertaining the number of Nepalis involved in the war, stopping the recruitment of Nepalis in its military, and facilitating the repatriation of the deceased.

Although the two countries have a cordial relationship, Moscow is yet to respond to these urgent requests. Given the gravity of the situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must intensify diplomatic efforts to ensure the well-being and safe return of Nepali citizens in Russia. If bilateral efforts prove insufficient, Nepal should consider seeking the support of influential nations such as China, India and the United States for the repatriation of Nepalis there. Nepal can approach the European Union and the US for the release of Nepali citizens taken hostage in Ukraine. The government, however, has yet to reach out to these countries for assistance.

While Russia expresses a desire for continued engagement with Kathmandu, its failure to respond to Nepal’s legitimate concerns regarding the welfare of its citizens abroad is disconcerting. Moscow must recognize the urgency of the situation and respond as soon as possible. 

Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud has said that approximately 100 Nepalis who are serving in the Russian army remain missing and some have been injured. Speaking at a programe in the Capital, the foreign minister said the ministry is receiving complaints from the family members of the missing.

Saud said approximately 200 Nepalis who went to Russia on student, working and visit visas have joined the Russian army. However, the number could be bigger given the growing number of complaints.

According to him, the ministry has already summoned the Russian ambassador and conveyed Nepal’s concern to Moscow. The government has also ordered the Nepali Embassy in Moscow to reach out to Russian authorities. 

Foreign Minister Saud also said that the government was in constant touch with Ukraine to free the Nepalis being held hostage by the Ukrainian army. The government has also requested the International Committee of Red Cross to help to rescue Nepalis in Ukraine.

To date, seven Nepalis have been confirmed dead and four are under captivity in Ukraine. According to the ministry, four Nepalis are under Ukraine’s captivity. They have been identified as Bibek Khatri, Sidhartha Dhakal, Bikas Rai and Pratik Pun. Nepal has communicated with the Ukraine government about the matter.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Nepal has told the Russian side to provide compensation to those who were killed in war with Ukraine and facilitate the process of repatriating the bodies.

In order to stop the recruitment process, Nepal has made the provision of no objection letter mandatory. The provision also applies to those flying to Russia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.

Nepal has intensified diplomatic efforts with Russia to address the key concerns surrounding Nepali youths joining the Russian army. Speaking with ApEx, Foreign Minister NP Saud said the number of Nepali youths in the Russian army could be higher than the government estimates. 

“The number of casualties and missing could also be higher,” said Saud. Given the situation in Russia, the minister said that the government has taken a series of measures to stop Nepalis traveling to Russia as well as Ukraine through various transit countries. 

Russia has been enlisting Nepali men in its army and sending them to fight the war with Ukraine without the knowledge of Nepal. The presence of Nepalis in the Russian army was made known by the enlistees through their social media posts.

The government view is that the Kremlin should have stopped Nepalis from joining the Russian Army in the first place. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said recently that approximately 200 Nepalis were serving in the Russian army, but other independent observers who have returned from the country say the number could be much higher. Till date, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the death of six Nepalis. 

Nepal Police recently busted a gang involved in the smuggling of people to Russia, leading to the suspicion that many Nepali youths are currently serving in the Russian army. Minister Saud said the Nepal government will ask Russia to ascertain the number of Nepalis in its army, as well as the number of dead, injured and prisoners of war.

“We are in the process of taking up these issues with the concerned authorities,” he told ApEx.

In recent weeks, there have been increasing reports about the death and hostage taking of Nepalis serving in the Russian army. Videos of some Nepali hostages asking for help have also been released.  

As Nepal and Russia enjoy a cordial relationship and both countries have their residential embassies in each other’s capital, Nepal may not need support of a third country to repatriate its citizens.

 Even in the war-time, Nepali politicians have been visiting Russia. Prime Minister Dahal recently expressed his wish to visit Moscow and to host Russian President Vladamir Putin in Kathmandu.

In April, Chairman of National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timalsina had also visited Russia. Soon after his visit, Russia handed over a paper to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs identifying the areas that Russia wants to engage with Nepal. There have been other high-level exchanges between the two countries as well.  According to some observers, as the two countries have been in constant communication and hosting each other’s delegations, nothing should stop them from talking about the Nepalis joining the Russian army.

Besides issuing a press statement on December 4, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not said anything about the death, injury or captivity of Nepali youths in the Russia-Ukraine war.On December 7, the National Human Rights Commission urged the government to rescue the Nepalis from Russia and Ukraine. But the response from the government agencies, including the Nepali Embassy in Moscow, has remained slow.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin too seems reluctant to address the issue. In response to BBC Nepali Service’s question, Putin’s office recently said that it was unaware about the recruitment of Nepalis in the Russian army.  “Foreign nationals cannot serve in the Russian army,” BBC quoted a senior Russian official as saying. With Russia clearly unwilling to engage, observers say the government should not hesitate to dispatch a high-level team to Moscow to investigate and resolve the matter.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that nearly 200 Nepalis, who had gone to Russia on student and tourist visas, have joined the Russian army to earn money.

Addressing the office-bearers meeting of the Press Center in the Capital on Monday, the Prime Minister said that he got the information that 200 Nepalis have joined the Russian army.

He further said that some Nepalis serving in the Russian army are under the control of Kyiv’s forces.

Prime Minister Dahal went on to say that he has even got the information that some Nepalis have also joined the Ukrainian army and the government is studying about the same.

Six Nepalis serving in the Russian army had died during the Russian-Ukraine war.

The government has already sent a letter to the Russian government to hand over the bodies to the Nepal government.

The government has also urged the Russian government not to recruit its citizens into the Russian army.

Meanwhile, police have arrested 12 persons for their alleged involvement in sending people to Russia illegally.