Conflicts & War

‘Desperate to return’: the Nepali mercenaries lured to fight for Russia in Ukraine

By Narendra Shrestha

Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb 23 (EPA-EFE).- As family and friends look on in silence, Buddi Naryan Aryal and his nephew Raju wrap and bind leaves of Kush grass – which is sacred to Hindus – into an effigy for the funeral for Hari Aryal.

Hari, 23, a former Nepalese Army soldier who was born in Waling, a village in the Himalayan foothills in western Nepal, died thousands of miles from home on the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine on Dec. 5, 2023.

According to the Nepal foreign ministry, Hari was one of over 200 Nepalis who were recruited by the Russian army for its Ukraine campaign, lured by monthly wages of around 150,000 roubles (approximately $1,600) – around eight times the average salary in Nepal – and promises of fast-tracked Russian citizenship.

“He resigned from the Nepal army hoping to land a job with the German or Dubai police (…) In the end, he found a job in the Russian army through human traffickers,” his uncle, Buddi Naryan, tells EPA Images.

His family heard from the Nepal foreign ministry on Jan. 2 that Hari had died in an ambush in December, less than two months after enlisting.

“Hari used to say that he would return from Russia after earning money and would build a new home,” he says. “That day never came.”

Nepalese authorities have confirmed that at least 14 of its citizens have died since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, although some reports suggest the real toll could be far higher.

Citing “various news sources and returnees from Russia,” former foreign minister and member of parliament Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal told EPA over the phone that as many as 15,000 Nepalis have enlisted with the Russian military.

More than 150 people have appealed to the consular department after losing contact with their relatives fighting with the Russian army.

Nepal has since banned its citizens from traveling to Russia or Ukraine and has also asked Russia to repatriate all Nepalis who were recruited for the conflict.

PUSHED BY POVERTY

Each year, hundreds of thousands of citizens of Nepal – the poorest country in South Asia and one of the poorest in the world – emigrate in search of employment.

Foreign remittances are a major contributor to the nation’s economy, covering around 23 percent of its GDP in 2022, according to the World Bank.

More than 80 percent head to countries in the Gulf, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as Malaysia.

Krishna Sharma (named changed), originally from Parbat in west Nepal, worked for two years as a migrant laborer in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

After returning home to Nepal in 2018, he found himself saddled by family debts of around 2.2 million rupees ($16,500).

Sharma heard that enlisting with the Russian army could help him pay off those debts. A “middleman” told him he would earn 95,000 roubles per month if he joined the Kremlin’s military campaign.

He paid a trafficker around $5,300, and within a week had obtained an entry visa.

After arriving in Russia, his 27-man unit – all Nepali soldiers except for the Russian commander – were immediately deployed to the Ukraine front.

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