Hundreds of Sri Lankans hospitalized in Russia-Ukraine war; legislator seeks special envoy
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka should make greater efforts to bring back hundreds of citizens who are injured in the war between Russia and Ukraine, including sending a special presidential envoy, MP Dayasiri Jayasekera urged on Monday (13).
An estimated 200 to 300 of the hundreds of Sri Lankans reportedly involved in the Russia-Ukraine war as mercenaries are said to be injured and hospitalized in Russia.
At the moment there is no Sri Lanka ambassador in Russia.
Jayasekera one of the first legislators to bring attention to the growing recruitment of Sri Lankan ex-soldiers for Russia’s war, said Sri Lanka should send a special presidential envoy to Russia and initiate discussion with the defence authorities initially about repatriating the injured citizens from the hospital.
“Then we can discuss bringing back the people in the camps,” he said, adding that a diplomatic intervention was needed to bring back the 600 or so people who are there.
One Sri Lanka ex-soldier estimated that 200 to 300 Sri Lankans may be treated in Russian hospitals at the moment and about 200 may have died. Up to 800 or more Sri Lankans – mainly ex-soldiers – may have left the country to fight for Russia, he said.
Authorities are still trying to find out how many left for Russia and Ukraine.
Assistant Superintend Harendrda Janakantha of the Human Trafficking and Maritime Crimes unit of Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department told a local television channel last week that they confirmed that 60 Sri Lankans have left for Russia and 54 tried to leave for Ukraine, and 23 made it.
“People can say that there are 800 to 1000,” Janakantha said. “Maybe that is also possible. But so far these are numbers we have confirmed through our investigations.
So far only three are confirmed to have returned, he said.
Senior Superintended Nihal Thalduwa said although there was information that about 700 to 800 have left Sri Lanka to Russia and Ukraine, it cannot be confirmed.
“We are still investigating. We have only recently started the investigation,” he said, adding that there were reports that large numbers have been injured and large numbers have died.
A retired Major General who was involved in one of the recruitment drives has already been arrested.
Several Private Military Companies (PMCs) in Russia, including Wagner are reported to be recruiting convicts and foreigners to fight the war against Ukraine.
Several other shadowy PMCs including Redut, believed to be under Russian intelligence agency GRU, are recruiting mercenaries, according to Western media reports.
Ukrainian researchers who interviewed captured mercenaries and seized documents left behind in regained territories found that mercenaries were promised a salary of 200,000 roubles (about 653,000 rupees at current exchange rates), 25,000 dollars for grave injury and 60,000 compensation for death.
Sri Lanka returnees have said salaries of 700,000 rupees Sri Lanka a month or more were promised but the amount has not been given. They have also been recruited on 12-month contracts.
An escaped soldier who was interviewed on a local television channel said there was no medivac process to recover injured foreign mercenaries and they had to crawl back to Russian position on their own as drones rained fire on them as soon as they moved.
If they got back, they were taken to hospital, given a one-month break and sent back to the front, one escaped soldier said.
One soldier described the operations as ‘suicide missions’ done under drone fire with little outside support.
The escaped fighter was serving in the Donetsk region which has Russian speakers, which declared independence and is operating as a separate republic loosely annexed to Russia.
Several teams were recruiting people from Sri Lanka charging between 350,000 to1.6 million rupees according to the returnees.
State Minister for Defence Pramith Tennakoon said Jayasekera and Gamini Valeboda, another legislator who had helped bring national attention to the plight of the Sri Lankan took part in a National Security Council meeting at the invitation of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
“Instructions were given immediately to the forces to take action,” Tennakoon said, adding, “As a result, several arrests were made.”
Sri Lanka has already arrested a retired Major-General and a Sergeant Major among several who are suspected to have recruited Sri Lankan ex-soldiers.
Sri Lankan retired soldiers are made various false promises including Russian citizenship, a piece of land in St Petersburg as well as high salaries and sign-up bonuses of 2.0 million rupees, he said.
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