Nepali Families Desperate for Answers After ‌Men ⁤go Missing Fighting for ​Russia in Ukraine

⁤ Updated may 27,2025
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KATHMANDU,Nepal — ⁣Two years ago,Magar’s husband,a former driver in Afghanistan,enlisted in the Russian army for a promised salary eight times his previous earnings​ of 50,000 ⁣Nepali rupees ($366) per ​month. Now,‍ she is searching for⁢ him after he went missing in ⁤November 2023.

Magar left her village in nepal’s Baglung district and traveled to‍ Kathmandu seeking details about her husband. She hopes to ‌journey to ⁤Moscow to determine⁢ if he is dead and, ‌if so, to claim compensation from the Russian government. She ⁢requested that onyl her last name be used.

Magar said she has filed ⁤complaints with the Department of Consular Services,⁣ the Anti-Human Trafficking ‍Bureau,‌ and the National Human ‍Rights Commission, but ‍has received no information. “I want to know if he is alive or dead,” she said.

While awaiting government approval to travel to ​Russia, magar is among hundreds of Nepalis‌ searching for missing relatives who fought for Russia in Ukraine. Leknath Gautam, acting ⁤director of the Department of Consular Services, said ⁣more then 200 Nepalis ⁤have returned from the ⁣war, but many remain missing. The Ministry ‌of Foreign Affairs reports 70 deaths, over 100 missing persons, and 343 families seeking assistance.

Nepal relies on‍ remittances from overseas workers, highlighting the failures‍ of state‍ accountability and the⁣ country’s⁤ foreign-labor protection system.

“We cannot stop them from going to search for ​their relatives,” Gautam said. ​“it is the state’s obligation to assist them.” Critics⁤ argue⁢ the government has not taken enough responsibility, leaving ⁢families ​to search on ‍their own.

Kritu Bhandari, an opposition leader,⁣ questioned how uneducated⁢ women from remote areas can navigate Russia‌ to ‌find their loved ones.

‘Survival was impossible’

Andriy Yusov, a press officer at the Main‍ Directorate of Intelligence in Ukraine’s Ministry‍ of Defence, ‌estimates that 830 Nepali ⁢citizens are ​serving or have died in ‌the Russian military. He said 38 are listed as⁢ killed in action, and nine are prisoners of war in Ukraine. A⁢ Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs⁢ official said‌ the prisoners are‌ treated according to international humanitarian⁣ law.

Bhandari, who manages a​ WhatsApp group of 3,000 Nepalis involved in the Russian military, believes ​the Ukrainian government’s estimates are inaccurate. many Nepalis ‍joined the ​Russian ⁣effort after seeing ‍TikTok videos and being​ lured by the promise of Russian citizenship.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war ⁢on May 16, in the largest prisoner swap of the conflict.

While the war began in 2022, Nepali recruitment spiked in 2023. ‍many traveled to ​Russia⁤ on visitor visas and where‌ recruited upon arrival. The Nepali government halted labor ‌approvals for Russia in December 2023, but Dandu Raj Ghimire, spokesperson⁣ for ‍the Ministry of Labour,⁢ Employment, and Social Security, said the government cannot prevent individuals from going.

Raju ⁣Prasad Chapagai, chairperson of Accountability Watch Committee, ​said that ⁤while international humanitarian ⁣law does not prohibit neighboring countries ⁢from recruiting soldiers, Russia must do so diplomatically‍ with nepal. Krishna⁣ Prasad Dhakal, Nepal’s Foreign ministry spokesperson, said the country only has such agreements with the United Kingdom and ⁣India.

Anita Ghimire, director of social research at the Nepal Institute for Social and Environmental‍ Research, said that the⁣ government must establish a bilateral agreement for the safety and ⁣social security of Nepali citizens sent to war zones. “The use of civilians ⁤on the front lines during war in another country is not an chance,but a tragedy,” she said.

Labor migration expert Keshab Basyal said Russia’s recruitment of Nepalis highlights the lack of jobs‌ in Nepal. “With limited access to ​education, health care and social security,” he said, “many are driven to⁣ risk their lives for a better future.”

Lokesh⁢ Shahi, 36, a retired Nepali Army soldier, joined ⁢the Russian military in September 2023 out of desperation.“There are no opportunities to earn⁣ in⁤ Nepal,” he said. “I​ thought, one day I have⁣ to‌ die anyway, so I ⁤went to Russia.”

Traveling⁤ on a ⁤visitor visa, Shahi was deployed to ‌Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and‌ later​ sent to Kharkiv. ​He said he was the only Nepali who survived in his 200-member battalion. “All I saw were bombs, artillery​ and dead bodies,” he‌ said. “It felt like survival was impossible.”

Shahi obtained a fake death ​certificate for⁢ his⁢ mother via WhatsApp and requested leave for the funeral. He then walked 12 days through a forest to reach Luhansk, where, with the help of the Nepal Embassy, he escaped. Back ‌home, he delivered news to the families in⁣ his village that their sons⁤ had⁢ died in combat.

Magar, and hundreds ‌like her,‌ still lack closure. Fifteen families,⁣ including seven wives, have traveled to Moscow⁣ and plan ⁣to stay as ⁤long as it takes to ‍find answers.

What’s next

The Nepali government ‌faces increasing⁢ pressure to provide support ⁣and resources to families searching for their loved ones and to address the underlying ‌economic issues that drive⁢ citizens to seek hazardous employment opportunities abroad.