Five Sri Lankan ex-soldiers held as POWs in Ukraine after joining Russian military

Five former Sri Lankan soldiers who joined the Russian military and crossed the border were arrested by Ukrainian authorities and are now prisoners of war, according to a source.

After reports surfaced about Sri Lankans joining the Russian and Ukrainian militaries, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Turkey, which also handles Ukraine, investigated the matter.

On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities informed the Sri Lankan mission that five Sri Lankans were being held as prisoners of war, and that three Sri Lankans fighting with Ukrainian forces had died in action.

Earlier, a Sri Lankan ministerial delegation visited Moscow to negotiate the release of Sri Lankans who joined the Russian military.

State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya stated that Sri Lankans, mostly retired soldiers, were lured to Russia with promises of good salaries and benefits, including Russian citizenship.

However, they ended up signing agreements with Russian defense authorities, making their release difficult. Some have even obtained Russian citizenship.