Sri Lankans being trafficked to fight Russia’s war in Ukraine: UN expert, Pg18

Key Highlights:

• UN expert revealed Sri Lankans, including Tamils, are trafficked to fight for Russia in Ukraine [2025-09-22].
• Russian Ministry of Defence enlisted foreign nationals, coercing them into military contracts.
• UN letter in July [2025-07-22] flagged "international lucrative criminal network" trafficking Sri Lankans.
• Families of victims reached out to Sri Lankan authorities without substantive response.
• India's MEA has taken up the matter of its citizens with Russian authorities.
• 144,379 Sri Lankans went abroad for employment in the first six months of 2025.
• Sri Lanka requested Russia to allow Sri Lankans with completed contracts to return home.

Detailed Insights:

• UN report [2025-09-15] indicates conscripts are forced into military contracts through torture and deceit.
• Recruitment agencies misled Sri Lankans with false promises of European employment, leading to forced recruitment into the Russian army.
• Families in Jaffna sought help from legislators to contact the Ministry and President's office regarding trafficked relatives.
• Hundreds of Sri Lankans and other foreign nationals may have been coerced into joining Russian armed forces.
• Nepali media reported on Nepalis fighting for Russia in Ukraine seeking rescue in 2024.
• Sri Lankan media reported at least 120 ex-military men are uncommunicative with families and 60 are missing.
• Economic crash in 2022 increased outward labor migration from Sri Lanka, making citizens vulnerable to trafficking.
• Sri Lanka relies heavily on worker remittances to rebuild its debt-strained economy.
• Sri Lanka appreciates Russia's cooperation in compensating Sri Lankans killed or wounded in combat.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Trafficking: The action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation.
• Mercenary: A professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.
• Remittances: Money migrants send back to their family and friends in their home countries.