Recently in Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the private army Wagner Group, revolted against the government there. Now the news has come that an angle of that rebellion is connecting with Nepal as well. In fact, news has come that many Gurkha soldiers are also included in the Wagner Group. Many of them are retired soldiers from Nepal Army while some are unemployed youth. Now after the agreement between the Wagner Group and the Russian government, these Gorkha soldiers can get the membership of Russia.
Gurkha soldiers will join the Russian army
According to media reports, under the agreement between the Wagner Group and the Russian government, the fighters of the Wagner Group can be recruited in the Russian army. In such a situation, Gorkha soldiers fighting with the Wagner Group can also join the Russian army. The officials of Nepal are also surprised by this. The reason for this is that there is no agreement between Nepal and Russia to engage the citizens of Nepal in military duty, but now Nepali youth can join the Russian army through Wagner Group under the agreement.
Russia eases citizenship rules
Significantly, on May 16 itself, Russia has made it easier for foreign nationals to take Russian citizenship. These provisions have been made under special circumstances in view of the ongoing war with Ukraine. The Russian government has also offered citizenship to the relatives of foreigners who have taken Russian citizenship. The youth of Nepal are getting particularly attracted by this offer from Russia. The unemployment rate in Nepal remains above 11 percent, which is the reason why the youth of Nepal are turning to Russia in search of employment. News has come that more than a dozen Nepali youths have taken war training in Russia.
Military strategists of Nepal expressed concern
Nepal’s strategic analyst and retired Major General Vinod Basnayat says that ‘this is a worrying situation. The Government of Nepal is unable to do anything about this and people are going to Russia in their personal capacity. If a citizen joins a foreign army, it should be under the foreign policy of the government. There should be an agreement between the countries regarding this but nothing like this has happened.
Some videos have surfaced on social media, in which Nepali youths are seen doing war drills. There have also been reports from Nepal that some youths have gone to Russia and joined the army there. ( PLC/GT )
