Thousands of men from Nepal have joined the Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
Many of them are sent to the front after two weeks of training, reports say CNN.
– It is the Nepalese and other foreigners who are fighting at the front. The Russians position themselves a few hundred meters back as support, says one of the soldiers.
The poor mountainous country of Nepal is hard hit by poverty and unemployment. Many try to seek their fortune outside the country’s borders and around 15,000 of them are said to have ended up in the Russian army. Ramchandra Khadka has recently returned to Nepal after fighting on the front lines in Ukraine. He joined the Russian army as a mercenary.
– I didn’t join the Russian military for fun. I had no job opportunities in Nepal. But in retrospect, it wasn’t the right decision. We did not realize that we would be sent to the front lines so quickly and how dire the situation would become, he told CNN.
Two weeks of training
Khadka arrived in Moscow last September. After only two weeks of training, he was sent to the front line in Bachmut.
– There is not an inch of land in Bachmut that is not bombed. All trees, bushes and greenery, everything is gone. Most of the houses have been destroyed. The situation there is so terrible that you want to cry.
He is one of 15,000 Nepalese men who have joined the Russian army after the Kremlin announced a lucrative package for foreign soldiers who join the country’s military. The contract provides a salary of $2,000 a month and a quick process to obtain a Russian passport.
Language barrier leads to death
Several Nepalese who have enlisted state that they do not speak Russian and that instructors try to communicate through English. The language barrier has led to many deaths, Khadka believes.
– Sometimes you can’t even understand where to go or how to get there, he says.
Several of the fighting Nepalese also do not support the Russian invasion, writes CNN.
– It is not right to invade another country. Everyone has the right to live. All countries should respect the sovereignty of another country. It is not right that people in any country are killed in such a heinous way, says Khadka