Fifth Indian National Fighting for Russia Killed in Action in Ukraine, Media Reports

An Indian soldier has died while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, according to a relative who spoke on Monday. This marks the fifth confirmed death of an Indian citizen in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ravi Moun, a 22-year-old Indian national who was enlisted in the Russian military, was reported dead. According to AFP, Moun was the fifth Indian citizen who died in Russia's war in Ukraine while serving in Russian forces.

After the Indian soldier stopped responding to calls and messages, his brother reached out to the Indian Embassy in Moscow. The embassy confirmed that Moun had died and requested that the family provide DNA samples for the identification of his body.

Moun traveled to Russia in January after a private employment agent assured him of a job in the transportation sector. Upon arriving in Russia, Moun was recruited into the military, according to his brother Ajay.

Earlier in July, Indian news outlets reported that Russia decided to dismiss all Indians recruited by Russia for the war in Ukraine after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Currently, there are established facts of recruitment into the Russian army of citizens of Nepal, India, Syria, Serbia, and Somalia. The Russian Federation also recruited illegal migrants from the Finnish border who tried to get to the EU through Russia into its army.