At least 40 Nepali nationals have been confirmed dead while fighting for Russia in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. But Nepali officials warned that the actual death toll could go much higher.

According to the Nepali Embassy in Moscow, DNA tests are underway for more than 50 Nepali nationals believed to have been killed while fighting for Russia. This suggests that the death toll of Nepalis killed in the war could rise significantly.

With the confirmation of four latest deaths of Nepali nationals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday put the total fatalities at 40. The four victims have been identified as Bimal Limbu, Bikram Chaudhary, Dom Bahadur Ale, and Subas Thapa.

Milan Tuladhar, Nepali ambassador to Russia who prematurely completed his term on Sunday and is set to return to Kathmandu soon, told the Post that the death toll could soar beyond 40 as the final DNA confirmation for as many as 50 suspected deaths of Nepal nationals is still pending.

He was recalled by the incumbent government at a time when six Nepali nationals, who were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war, are in the final stages of receiving compensation.

As per the Russian rules, the signatures of three diplomats serving in the embassy are required for processing the compensation, which will then be distributed through local units to the next kin of those who died in the war.

However, neither side has disclosed the exact amount that the families will receive after confirmation of a death in the war, but according to multiple sources, the amount could exceed Rs20 million. And each injured person who sustained a single bullet wound in the war will receive three million rubles (or nearly Rs4.5million), and the compensation amount increases with the number of bullet wounds sustained.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and its announcement in May 2023 to recruit foreign nationals into its army, hundreds of Nepali nationals joined the Russian Army.

But due to constant diplomatic effort and pressure from various levels and sectors, Russia has stopped recruiting Nepali nationals.

“Russia decided to stop hiring Nepali nationals from this May. Recruitment has halted,” said Tuladhar over the phone from Moscow.

He said that the compensation for six Nepali nationals who were killed in the early days of war and whose documentation has been completed, is in the final stages of being processed. “I don't know what will happen after I leave Moscow,” he said.

According to him, it would take at least two months for a new ambassador to take office. The current government has nominated Jangam Chauhan as the next ambassador to Russia, and his parliamentary hearing is yet to be completed.

"Every day, we are getting new information about missing Nepalis. By October, all Nepali nationals serving in the Russian Army who want to return could be back in Nepal. But a sizeable number of Nepali nationals have obtained Russian citizenships and passports and they may not return,” he said. “Some of these Russian passports- holding Nepalis, who joined the Russian Army, are hoping to sneak into Europe. Many of them are injured in combat and are unfit to fight."

The injured people with bullet wounds have obtained Russian passports and millions of rubles, so they don’t want to return, he said.

“We met several such Nepalis and tried to convince them to return home, but they were not convinced,” he said.

A senior foreign ministry official said that Russia has been reluctant to share details of Nepali nationals it had recruited into its army, including the number of recruits, deaths, injuries and contract terminations.

So far, 174 Nepali nationals have returned home, as per official records. In a recent interview with Kantipur, a sister publication of the Post, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana had said that Nepal government has consistently raised concerns with Russia regarding the recruitment of Nepali nationals into Russian Army, their numbers and status, compensation for families of those killed in the war, and the repatriation of bodies, among other things. Several families have performed the last rites of their loved ones without receiving the bodies.

“During my recent conversation with the Russian ambassador, we again raised our concerns,” said the minister in her interview. “The Russian side keeps saying that since the war is ongoing, the issues of recruitment and logistics are being handled by the Russian defense ministry, not the foreign ministry.”

Two former foreign ministers Narayan Kaji Shrestha and NP Saud had also discussed these concerns in detail with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin.

Published on: 3 September 2024 | The Kathmandu Post