Ukraine Seeks Consular Access After Nationals Held in India
NIA probes Van Dyke's mercenary background, uncovering his conflict involvement and combat promotion on social media.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested seven foreign nationals, including six Ukrainians and a US citizen, on suspicion of entering Myanmar from Mizoram to train insurgents, with the case currently under investigation and before a court.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that the matter is being examined by relevant agencies. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that Ukraine has sought consular access to its nationals.
The Embassy of Ukraine in India expressed concern over the case, stating it appeared to have “a possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature”, and referred to media reports suggesting the proceedings were initiated based on information from Russia.
The development follows a formal protest lodged by Ukraine over the arrest of its six nationals.
According to reports, the NIA apprehended US national Matthew Aaron VanDyke along with six Ukrainians on suspicion of acting as mercenaries and infiltrating India via the Mizoram border after activities in Myanmar.
The arrests were made at three airports — Kolkata, Lucknow and Delhi — on March 13, when the accused were allegedly attempting to leave the country.
All seven were produced before a special NIA court in New Delhi, which remanded them to 11 days of NIA custody.
The Ukrainian embassy said, “Taking into account publicly available information in the case concerning the detention of six citizens of Ukraine, including media reports indicating that the initiation of this proceeding was prompted by information provided by the Russian side, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India expresses serious concern regarding the presence of circumstances that point to a possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature of this case, as evidenced, in particular, by the facts known at this stage.”
It added, “Ukraine firmly rejects any insinuations regarding the possible involvement of the Ukrainian State in supporting terrorist activities… any allegation related to terrorism must be considered exclusively on the basis of verified facts, transparent procedures, and full intergovernmental cooperation.”
The embassy also called for ensuring transparency, legality and protection of the rights of the detained individuals, and expressed readiness to cooperate with Indian authorities under existing bilateral legal frameworks.
The case remains under investigation.
