What happened?
On January 14, 2025, India ‘strongly’ raised the matter with Russia of the killing of Indian national Binil Babu, a native of Kerala’s Thrissur, who was killed due to a drone attack while fighting on Russia-Ukraine war frontlines.
Why it mattered to India
This incident underscores the ongoing issue of Indian nationals being recruited into Russia’s armed forces—many of whom were allegedly duped by fake recruiters. Back in October 2024, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had stated that 85 Indians had been discharged from the Russian military and efforts were on the secure the release of 20 more. Since then, India has been pressing Russia for an early discharge of all the remaining Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces.