UN skilled flags Sri Lankans being trafficked to battle Russias conflict in Ukraine

Sri Lankans, together with Tamils from the civil war-affected northern Jaffna district, are amongst overseas nationals who’ve been enlisted by the Russian military to battle in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine, a UN skilled’s current assertion has revealed.

The Hindu explains: A quick historical past of the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Addressing a press convention in Geneva on September 22, amid the sixtieth session of the UN Human Rights Council, Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the state of affairs of human rights within the Russian Federation, mentioned: “The Russian Ministry of Defence has enlisted overseas nationals to battle in Ukraine, together with trafficked individuals from Nepal and Sri Lanka, into the Russian military, coercing them into signing contracts by torture and threats to their lives and to their households,” highlighting a discovering in her September 15 report. The report additionally famous that the “conscripts are compelled, by torture and deceit, into signing army contracts that permit them to be despatched to the entrance traces. In at the least one case, an individual was shot lifeless for refusing to signal the contract.”

‘Predatory recruitment’

In July this 12 months, the Special Rapporteur, the UN Working Group on the usage of mercenaries, and different human rights consultants, wrote to the Government of Sri Lanka, on info it obtained in regards to the “alleged predatory recruitment” of three Sri Lankan people — the letter named the three Tamils — misled by recruitment businesses with false guarantees of employment alternatives and higher life situations in Europe. They ended up being trafficked and forcibly recruited into the Russian military, the letter mentioned, naming the three individuals. Responding to an e-mail question from The Hindu, Special Rapporteur Katzarova’s workplace mentioned it’s but to obtain a proper response from the Government of Sri Lanka.

The letter dated July 22 flagged an “worldwide profitable prison community” that trafficked people, promising secure authorized employment and mentioned that “the households of the victims had reached out to a number of Sri Lankan authorities, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President’s workplace, however had reportedly obtained no substantive response”. The Hindu learns that the households of the people, primarily based in Jaffna, had reached out to then-Jaffna legislator M.A. Sumanthiran late final 12 months, looking for his assist in contacting the Ministry and President’s workplace.

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Further, the communication from the Special Rapporteur’s workplace additionally referenced allegations that “tons of of different Sri Lankan males”, aside from different overseas nationals, might have been equally trafficked or coerced into becoming a member of the Russian armed forces.

Stuck in battlefield

In 2024, Nepali media reported on Nepalis preventing for Russia in Ukraine pleading to be rescued. Earlier this month, The Hindu reported that at the least 15 Indians have been caught within the battlefield in Ukraine, highlighting what seems a rising concern within the area, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine persists for effectively over three years. Responding, India’s Ministry of External Affairs mentioned it took up the matter with Russian authorities and requested that “apply be ended and that our nationals be launched.”  

Sri Lankan media, too, has previously highlighted instances of ex-military males apparently trapped in Ukraine, preventing Russia’s conflict. In May 2025, The Sunday Times reported that at the least 120 Sri Lankan ex-military males, who left for Russia as mercenaries in 2024 haven’t communicated with their households for a lot of months, whereas 60 at the moment are “lacking” for effectively over one 12 months. Concerns of Sri Lankans being duped by employment businesses, who cost hefty charges promising jobs overseas, have risen, particularly because the island nation’s 2022 financial crash, which sparked unprecedented ranges of outward labour migration. According to official knowledge, at the least 1,44,379 Sri Lankans went overseas for employment throughout the first six months of 2025, even because the nation depends closely on employee remittances to rebuild its debt-strained financial system.

Responding to The Hindu’s question on the Special Rapporteur’s assertion, Thushara Rodrigo, spokesman of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned Russian authorities have “halted recruiting Sri Lankans” to the Russian military. “Sri Lanka has requested that Sri Lankans, who’ve accomplished their contracts with the Russian army, be allowed to return to Sri Lanka, if they need,” he informed The Hindu.

Close Russia ties

Asked what number of Sri Lankan nationals are presently preventing in Ukraine, the Ministry didn’t reply. Its spokesman mentioned Sri Lanka — the island nation has traditionally held shut ties with Russia — “appreciates the continuing cooperation with the Russian authorities to expedite the method of receiving compensation for Sri Lankans who’ve been killed in motion or wounded in fight.”