{"id":15432,"date":"2024-02-12T12:46:45","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T12:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/12\/russia-has-recruited-as-many-as-15000-nepalis-to-fight-its-war-many-returned-traumatized-some-never-came-back\/"},"modified":"2024-02-12T12:46:45","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T12:46:45","slug":"russia-has-recruited-as-many-as-15000-nepalis-to-fight-its-war-many-returned-traumatized-some-never-came-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/12\/russia-has-recruited-as-many-as-15000-nepalis-to-fight-its-war-many-returned-traumatized-some-never-came-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia has recruited as many as 15,000 Nepalis to fight its war. Many returned traumatized. Some never came back"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Ramchandra Khadka stood in front of a temple in the middle of Kathmandu, Nepal, praying for his fellow countrymen who are fighting for Russia in Moscow\u2019s war against Ukraine. <\/p>\n

As the ceremonial bells rang and the sweet smell of incense filled the air, he lit candles and offered flowers to a deity. All he wants is for his Nepali friends to survive the brutal war. <\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine is not the first battle Khadka has fought. He was among Nepal\u2019s Maoist rebels, who fought a bloody war with the country\u2019s forces for 10 years from the mid-1990s. He then went to Afghanistan after being hired by a private military contractor to assist NATO forces in the country. He thought he had experienced it all in his lifetime \u2013 bloodshed, death and pain. But, some 17 years after the Maoist war ended, with no hope of a job in Nepal, he decided to fly to Russia to join the country\u2019s military for money. <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t join the Russian military for pleasure. I didn\u2019t have any job opportunities in Nepal. But in hindsight, it wasn\u2019t the right decision. We didn\u2019t realize we would be sent to the frontlines that quickly and how horrible the situation would be,\u201d Khadka said. <\/p>\n

He arrived in Moscow in September last year. After only two weeks of training, he said, he was sent to the front lines in Bakhmut \u2013 a town in eastern Ukraine that saw some of the heaviest fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces \u2013 with a gun and a basic kit. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t an inch of land in Bakhmut that\u2019s not affected by bombs. All the trees, shrubs, and greenery\u2026 they are all gone. Most of the houses have been destroyed. The situation there is so gruesome that it makes you want to cry,\u201d he recalled. <\/p>\n

Khadka was deployed to Bakhmut twice and spent a total of one month there. During his second deployment, he was struck by a bullet in his hip. After he was rescued and taken a few hundred meters back from the front line, he was hit by shrapnel from a cluster bomb. <\/p>\n

\u201cI still get a headache when I think about the terrible scenes I saw in the war zone,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The package included at least $2,000 salary a month and a fast-tracked process to obtain a Russian passport. Nepal\u2019s passport is ranked one of the worst in the world for global mobility, below North Korea, according to an index created by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, and the Himalayan nation is among the world\u2019s poorest, with a per capita GDP of $1,336 for 2022, according to World Bank data. <\/p>\n

The\u00a0Nepali government says about 200 of its citizens are fighting for the Russian army and that at least 13\u00a0Nepalis have been killed in the war zone. But lawmakers and rights\u2019 campaigners in\u00a0Nepal\u00a0say those official estimates vastly underestimate the real numbers. <\/p>\n

A prominent opposition\u00a0Nepali lawmaker and former foreign minister, Bimala Rai Paudyal, told the upper house of the county\u2019s parliament on Thursday that between 14,000 and 15,000\u00a0Nepalis are fighting on the front lines, citing testimony from men returning from the war zone, and called on the Russian authorities to provide the figures. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Russian government must have the data of how many foreign fighters have joined the Russian army and how many\u00a0Nepalis are fighting for Russia,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Four Nepali fighters are currently being held as prisoners of war (POWs) by Ukraine, according to Nepal\u2019s foreign ministry. <\/p>\n

Kritu Bhandari, a Kathmandu-based politician and social campaigner, has become the leader of a group of family members of Nepali men fighting in Russia. She says around 2,000 families have approached her in recent weeks asking for help either to get in touch with their missing loved ones or to bring those who are still in contact home to the small South Asian nation. <\/p>\n

Hundreds of families say their relatives in Russia haven\u2019t been in contact for many weeks or months, according to Bhandari. <\/p>\n

\u2018I try not to think of the worst\u2019<\/h2>\n

Januka Sunar\u2019s husband went to Russia three months ago to join the military. He hasn\u2019t been in touch with his family in Nepal for two-and-a-half months. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very worried. I don\u2019t know what happened to him. He may be injured\u2026 and I wonder if they will return his phone eventually. I\u2019m scared. I try not to think of the worst,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Sunar said her husband, the sole breadwinner in the house, who used to work making silver jewelry and utensils, had joined the Russian army solely for money \u2013 to build a better life for the family. She has two children who live with her in a town on the outskirts of Kathmandu. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf the worst has happened to him, it\u2019ll be worse than going to hell for us. We don\u2019t have a future for the rest of our lives,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Sunar burst into tears as she shared how she was unable to explain to her children where their father is. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey say: \u2018Where is our dad, mummy? All of our friend\u2019s dads who went abroad for work have returned\u2026 when is our dad coming back? We want to talk to our dad just for once.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Sunar is desperate for help from the authorities. \u201cWe just want information \u2013 from our government or the Russian government. Just tell us about his condition. Please see if you can rescue him. If they want to keep him there\u2026 .at least we want to know how he is\u2026 and speak to him,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Buddhi Maya Tamang, who was also at the gathering, received a call at the end of January from a Russian number after midnight. She thought her husband, Shukra Tamang \u2013 a retired Nepali army soldier fighting for Russia \u2013 was the person calling. <\/p>\n

It was someone else. A Nepali commander who was leading a unit on the front lines told her that her husband had been killed during the fighting. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was then speechless and senseless\u2026 I was hoping it was a prank call,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

She hasn\u2019t received confirmation of his death from either the Nepali or the Russian government. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just need an official proof of his condition \u2013 regardless of whether it\u2019s good news or bad news.\u201d <\/p>\n

Recruits \u2018from global south\u2019<\/h2>\n

The academy was designed as a youth military academy and describes itself as a \u201cpatriotic education\u201d center. It has been re-outfitted into a training academy for foreign mercenaries entering the ranks of the Russian army. This was where Khadka received his brief training. <\/p>\n

\u201cOver here they teach you how to assemble and fire guns,\u201d explained Shishir Bishwokarma, a Nepali soldier who has documented his journey to Russia and life at the training camp on YouTube. <\/p>\n

The geolocated social media video shows an indoor wrestling gym converted into a training area for familiarization with small arms such as AK-47s, while the gym\u2019s old Moscow Oblast flag appears to have been switched out for the colors of the Russian defense ministry. <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The soldier described his fellow academy cadets as coming from across the global south. He cited Afghan, Indian, Congolese and Egyptian classmates, among others. Class photos from Avangard posted on social media show dozens of what appear to be South Asian soldiers with native Russian instructors. <\/p>\n

At this mechanized infantry training compound, which was geolocated with the help of the Bellingcat Discord community, a handful of South Asian soldiers in full combat gear appear to be familiarizing themselves with operating alongside armored vehicles and heavy weaponry, as well as packing gear bags and organizing into larger units among Russian soldiers. <\/p>\n

One of Bishwokarma\u2019s videos shows drones flying over the center of the Avangard academy complex, while he narrates \u201cnow guys, we have come to a drone class.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t understand Russian, but they have turned on Russian movies in our waiting room so that we can watch,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n

Multiple Nepalis enlisting in the Russian army have stated that they don\u2019t speak Russian but explain that instructors at Avangard seek to accommodate this by training the men in English. <\/p>\n

That language barrier has played a large part in the deaths of many Nepalis on the front lines, said Khadka, the former fighter. <\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you can\u2019t even understand where you\u2019re supposed to be going or how to get there,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Khadka said he used to communicate with Russian officers by using a voice-translating app \u2013 and many times, just hand signals. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the Nepalis and other foreign fighters that are actually fighting in the front of war zones. The Russians position themselves a few hundred meters back as support,\u201d said Suman Tamang, who returned from Russia last week. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome of my friends were mistreated by the Russian commander when they tried to voice their concerns,\u201d Tamang recalled. <\/p>\n

The 39-year-old also said that the Ukrainians were attacking their position with drones, something his unit didn\u2019t have. He blamed the lack of modern fighting machinery for their losses. <\/p>\n

Some fighters claim that while they signed up for the money, they do not support Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not right to invade another country. Everyone has the right to live. All countries should respect the sovereignty of another country. It\u2019s not right for people of any country to be killed in such a hideous way. It\u2019s not right for tens of thousands of people to die for the interest of a few,\u201d Khadka said. <\/p>\n

Each year, around 400,000 people\u00a0are estimated to enter the Nepali job market with limited skills and opportunities. A staggering 19.2% youth unemployment rate among individuals aged 15 to 29 underscores the hurdle the younger demographic faces in the pursuit of employment. <\/p>\n

Bonuses paid<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe recruiters get very happy when Nepalis show up,\u201d a former fighter said. <\/p>\n

A one-year contract is signed and the men get a Russian bank account, where at least $2,000 monthly salary is deposited. Many fighters say bonuses were also given \u2013 and the longer they stay on the front lines, the more bonuses they receive. Some say they made up to $4,000 a month. <\/p>\n

Several of the Nepalis who fought for Russia said they had received only brief training before being sent into combat. <\/p>\n

Such a short training period before sending Nepali soldiers to fight \u201cshows the desperation of the Russian government and their need for human resources on the frontline,\u201d said Binoj Basnyat, a retired major general from the Nepali army, who now works as a strategic analyst. <\/p>\n

Like many Nepalis who fled Russia without being discharged from their contracts, Sharma has no idea how to withdraw the money he still has in a Russian bank account. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I escaped from the military camp, it took me three days to get to Moscow. I was worried that by going to a bank to withdraw the money, I would risk getting caught,\u201d he said. \u201cI can access my bank account on my phone, but I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s possible to transfer that money overseas.\u201d <\/p>\n

Sharma, a retired Nepali police officer, was working as a security guard in a Dubai hotel when a Nepali agent in Kathmandu contacted him about the terms Russia was offering for foreigners to join its military. Sharma was making around $450 a month in Dubai and was immediately lured by the offer. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter seeing gruesome images on the frontlines, seeing your friends die next to you, realizing chances of survival is very slim\u2026. you then realize the money is not worth it. That\u2019s why I escaped,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Agents in Nepal charge between $5,000 and $7,000 to arrange a tourist visa for an individual through a third country, according to the police. <\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m done with fighting wars\u2019<\/h2>\n

The Nepali government has now banned its citizens from traveling to Russia for work and has implemented stricter requirements for people trying to go to countries such as the UAE on a visit visa. <\/p>\n

Nepal\u2019s foreign ministry in December urged Russia to stop recruiting Nepali citizens and send home the remains of those killed in the war. <\/p>\n

The minister said that Russia\u2019s deputy foreign minister had last month assured him that \u201cthey will sort it out\u201d with regard to Nepal\u2019s concerns but acknowledged that Moscow hasn\u2019t taken any steps so far. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have any information that Russia is doing anything,\u201d he said, stressing that Moscow should \u201crespect Nepal\u2019s point of view.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a traditional treaty with a few countries for the recruitment of our citizens in the military of those countries,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut we don\u2019t have such treaty with Russia for such type of military or security recruitment.\u201d <\/p>\n

The minister said he had asked to travel to Moscow to discuss the issue but was waiting for an invitation from the Russian government. <\/p>\n

Saud also said Nepal was talking to Ukrainian officials about releasing the four Nepali POWs taken by Ukraine from the front lines. He said Ukraine had some \u201creservations\u201d and \u201clegal questions\u201d which the Nepali government was working to address. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear if there will be any legal consequences against individuals who either defy the\u00a0Nepali government\u2019s ban to travel to Russia for work or who take part in combat operations against Ukraine. <\/p>\n

Kathmandu police said they broke up a racket last month, leading to the arrest of 18 people allegedly involved in sending Nepali men to join the Russian army. <\/p>\n

They raided several hotels where those arrested were staying and confiscated dozens of passports and several hundred thousand Nepali rupees, the police said. <\/p>\n

But Nepalis haven\u2019t stopped flying to Russia. <\/p>\n

Sharma, the man who recently returned, said he had met a few Nepalis in Moscow who had just arrived and were looking to get into the army. <\/p>\n

Kathmandu police chief Bhupendra Bahadur Khatri said the number of Nepalis going to a third country on a visit visa to eventually fly to Russia had slowed but hadn\u2019t completely stopped. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are getting some intelligence that some of these agents are still active in recruiting Nepal men. We have gathered some undercurrent of their activities, and our investigation continues,\u201d Khatri said. <\/p>\n

Basnyat, the analyst, blames political instability and rising unemployment in Nepal as a major factor driving Nepalis to seek out dangerous employment in Russia. <\/p>\n

More than 15% of its people live below the poverty line. The estimated unemployment rate in 2022 was 11.1%, according to the World Bank, compared with 10.6% in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands of Nepalis travel to Gulf countries for work every year, with international remittances amounting to nearly 23% of the country\u2019s GDP. An overwhelming 70% of the country\u2019s workforce is employed in the informal sector, exposing them to heightened job insecurity and limited protections. <\/p>\n

Khadka is also planning to go to the Middle East as a migrant worker once he recovers from his conflict injuries. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to do commercial farming in Nepal but it\u2019s proving next to impossible for me to take a loan. I\u2019m looking to go to one of the Gulf countries. I\u2019m done with fighting wars,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ramchandra Khadka stood in front of a temple in the middle of Kathmandu, Nepal, praying for his fellow countrymen who are fighting for Russia in Moscow\u2019s war against Ukraine. As the ceremonial bells rang and the sweet smell of incense filled the air, he lit candles and offered flowers to a deity. All he wants <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":15433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}