Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to again take up with Russian President Vladimir Putin the early discharge of nearly 20 Indian nationals who are yet to be discharged from the Russian Army when the two leaders hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at Kazan from October 22-23.

At a media briefing here this afternoon ahead of the PM’s visit to Russia, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “around 85 Indians (who were illegally contracted to fight for the Russian Army in the Ukraine conflict) have returned from Russia. Unfortunately, some of them lost their lives. Nearly 20 Indians still remain there.”

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He said Indian Embassy officials have been in close touch with their interlocutors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence of Russia on the issue of Indians still working for the Russian Army.

PM Modi will visit Russia on October 22-23 to attend the 16th BRICS Summit. The summit, themed ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,’ will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues.

The summit offers a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration.

Mr Misri said PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders.