India Warns Citizens Against Joining Russia's Military

India's Ministry of External Affairs issued a fresh advisory on September 30 warning citizens against joining Russia's armed forces, saying the government continues "to see reports about Indian nationals recruited into the Russian armed forces" despite two years of prior warnings. The advisory repeats the government's longstanding caution against job offers "from unverified individuals," but goes further than past statements on two specific patterns it says it has observed.

Joining for the Money, Expecting a Way Out Later

The ministry said it has "come across numerous instances wherein individuals are willingly seeking out offers to join the Russian armed forces with an understanding that they would be able to avail concomitant monetary benefits, and later secure release by approaching the Indian Government." It called this "a dangerous path" and said it is "strongly discouraged by the Government."

Giving Up Citizenship for a Russian Passport

More notably, the advisory says some Indians have approached Indian authorities seeking to voluntarily renounce their Indian citizenship, obtain a Russian passport, and then join Russia's armed forces - and that others have already done so "without consulting Indian authorities, having been lured by temporary monetary benefits." The ministry urged citizens to "consider the gravity of such actions and understand the mortal dangers they are exposing themselves to," and advised against taking this route.

Unregistered Agents and "Voluntary Groups"

The advisory also flags recruitment by "non-public entities including voluntary groups" that are not registered with the Ministry of External Affairs, urging Indians to exercise due diligence before accepting job offers from such agents.

See also: Faisan Khan, a recruiter, who lured fellow Indians into Russia's army

A Pattern of Statements That Haven't Stopped Recruitment

This is not the first time India's government has addressed the issue. Russian officials pledged that Russia's Ministry of Defence had stopped recruiting Indian citizens - a freeze that did not hold, with recruitment continuing for years afterward despite repeated pledges to repatriate Indian nationals. The new advisory says the government "remains continuously engaged with the Russian side to ensure the safety, well-being and early discharge of all Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces," without giving numbers on how many remain or have been brought home.

Get Out Safely

Indian nationals currently serving in Russia's armed forces, however they got there, have a safe option to leave through Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project.