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Committed To Early Release Of Indians Duped To Work For Russian Army: MEA

By LokMarg 8th March 2024

Several Indian nationals have been “duped” to work with the Russian Army, stated Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday, adding that the Indian government has taken a strong stance on the matter, urging the Russian government for the early discharge of such individuals.

The MEA further stated that action has been initiated against agents and unscrupulous elements who are involved in recruiting Indian nationals on false pretexts.

Addressing the issue, MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said, “Several Indian Nationals have been duped to work with the Russian Army. We have strongly taken up the matter with the Russian government for early discharge of such Indian nationals. Strong action has been initiated against agents and unscrupulous elements who recruited them on false pretexts and promises.”

He added that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had recently busted a major human trafficking network after conducting searches in various cities and gathering incriminating evidence.

The spokesperson also confirmed that a case of human trafficking has been registered against multiple agents involved in the illicit recruitment.

“The CBI yesterday busted a major human trafficking network, conducting searches in several cities and collecting incriminating evidence. A case of human trafficking has been registered against several agents,” said Jaiswal.

Expressing concern for the well-being of the affected individuals, Jaiswal appealed to Indian nationals, “to not be swayed by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian Army”.

He emphasised the inherent danger and risk to life associated with such arrangements.

“We remain committed to the early release of our nationals serving as support staff with the Russian Army and their eventual return home,” assured Jaiswal.

He also said that that approximately 20 individuals have reached out to MEA seeking assistance, and efforts are underway to locate and help them.

The MEA is in continuous communication with Russian authorities, pressing for the swift release and discharge of the duped Indian nationals, he also said.

Notably, the CBI on Thursday busted a major human trafficking network running across the country targeting Indian nationals on the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad but allegedly sending them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone. The central agency is conducting simultaneous searches at around 13 locations in Delhi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai.

The CBI stated that these traffickers have been operating as an organized network and were luring Indian nationals through social media channels like YouTube etc. and also through their local contacts/agents for highly paid jobs in Russia.

Thereafter, the trafficked Indian nationals were trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in the Russia-Ukraine War zone against their wishes, thus, putting their lives in grave danger. It has been ascertained that some of the victims also got grievously injured in the war zone.

Certain suspects have also been detained for questioning at various locations. So far around 35 instances of victims sent abroad have been established. The identity of more trafficking victims is also being established. The investigation is still underway. Meanwhile, an appeal has been made to the general public not to fall prey to such false promises of jobs by dubious recruitment agencies and agents. (ANI)

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EU Prez Expresses Grief At Navalny’s Death

By LokMarg 16th February 2024

European Union President Ursula von der Leyen condoled the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and said that Russian President Vladimir Putin fears nothing more than dissent of his people.

Expressing grief on his death, she urged people to unite in a fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of people who oppose ‘autocracy’.

“Deeply disturbed and saddened by news of the death of Alexei Navalny. Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people. A grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about. Let’s unite in our fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of those who dare to stand up against autocracy,” she posted on X.

Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has died, the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets Region, where he had served his sentence, reported on Friday afternoon, RT News agency reported.

The 47-year-old began to feel unwell after a walk, and lost consciousness, according to a statement. Russian media outlets have indicated that doctors pronounced Navalny dead after 2 pm local time.

“All the necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, but they failed to achieve a positive result,” the authorities outlined.

“Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called. Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established,” the prison statment read.

On the occasion of New Year this January, he had sent out a message on social media stating that he does not feel lonely and is in a “great” mood, but he still misses spending time with his family and friends in person.

In a New Year’s Eve message posted on social media by his team, Navalny was quoted as saying that this will be the third time “I have taken the traditional family New Year’s Eve photo with Photoshop.”

“I am trying to keep up with the times, and this time I asked an artificial intelligence to draw me. I hope it turned out something fantastic – I will not see the picture myself until the letter with it arrives on Yamal,” Navalny had said, according to CNN.

At that time, he was serving his term at the Russian Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region’s IK-3 prison colony.

Navalny has been behind bars since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Prior to his arrest, he campaigned against corruption and organised major anti-Kremlin protests. He has since received three prison terms and spent months in isolation in Penal Colony Number 6 for alleged minor infractions.

A court extended Navalny’s sentence to 19 years on “extremism” charges and ruled that he be moved to a more secure, harsher prison.

Notably, Navalny had, time and again rejected all charges against him as politically motivated. (ANI)

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Ex Russia Minister Says Its ‘No Coincidence’ Putin Critic Alexei Navalny Is Missing

By LokMarg 24th December 2023

Former Russian deputy energy minister Vladimir Milov said the timing of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s disappearance was ‘no coincidence’, as he pointed to President Vladimir Putin’s announcement to run again in the elections scheduled in 2024, CNN reported.

Russian Opposition leader Navalny, who has been missing for 17 days now, was absent from two scheduled court hearings conducted via video link on Friday, according to a statement from his team.

Navalny was imprisoned in a penal colony east of Moscow and was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August after he was found guilty of creating an “extremist community, financing extremist activities” and numerous other crimes.

“I think it is a deliberate tactic. It is no coincidence that Navalny disappeared exactly the moment when the so-called sham presidential elections were announced and that Putin announced that he was going to be running again,” Milov said.

“Putin is really willing to show that he is going to enter the Kremlin for another term through intimidation, through repression, through pressure on society, and that is clearly a blackmail on all the opposition forces,” Milov added.

Navalny’s team said the prominent politician has now been missing for 17 days, with his current whereabouts unknown.

“Today Alexey was supposed to have two trials. He was again not brought to the meetings. Navalny has never been hidden for so long,” Navalny’s team said in a Telegram post.

The unprecedented duration of Navalny’s absence from public view has also sparked concerns about his well-being and safety, according to CNN.

With Navalny missing for days now, his aides have restated a plea for information, offering a cryptocurrency reward for complete and reliable details about his current location or status.

Asked repeatedly last week about Navalny’s absence, the Kremlin reported, “neither the intention nor the ability to monitor the fate of prisoners and the process of their stay in the relevant institutions.”

According to CNN, Navalny posed one of the most serious threats to Putin’s legitimacy during his rule, which has spanned more than two decades.

The dissident was taken from Russia to Germany in 2020 after he was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent. Navalny had to be airlifted from the Siberian city of Omsk and arrived comatose at a hospital in Berlin.

Navalny was immediately incarcerated upon his return to Russia in January 2021, on charges of violating the terms of his probation related to a fraud case brought against him in 2013, which he also dismissed as politically motivated, CNN reported.

He has also campaigned from prison against Russia’s war against Ukraine and has even attempted to mobilize public opposition to the war. (ANI)

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Bajwa Asked Me To Condemn Russian Invasion Of Ukraine: Imran

By LokMarg 15th February 2023

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had asked him to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine soon after his return from Moscow, Geo News reported.

Khan was quoted in the repport as saying, “I talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin about procurement of oil at cheaper rates but when I returned to Pakistan, the chief of army staff asked me to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine.”
Khan said he advised Bajwa to stay neutral on India.

The former army chief, however, started condemning Russia him, the former PM added.

“A grade-22 officer made a foreign policy statement during a seminar to please the US,” he said.

He went on to say that the country will have to face the consequences when decisions are made to please Washington, the Dawn reported.

In the bid to please the United States, 80,000 people got killed in the war on terror, Khan claimed in the Geo News report.

Khan, who was ousted from his post in April last year, recently took a swipe at Bajwa saying that the former army chief had told the US that the PTI chief was anti-American.

He made the remark during an interview with US-based international radio broadcaster, Voice of America, aired on last Saturday, and a separate televised address on Sunday, according to Dawn.

“Whatever happened, now as things unfold, it wasn’t the US who told Pakistan [to oust me]. It was unfortunately, from what evidence has come up, [former army chief] Gen [Qamar Javed] Bajwa who somehow managed to tell the Americans that I was anti-American. And so, it [the plan to oust me] wasn’t imported from there. It was exported from here to there,” Khan told VoA.

Khan, who continuously blamed the US for his resignation as prime minister, took a U-turn from his earlier claim in the VoA interview.

Meanwhile, in his televised address, Khan termed General Bajwa, who retired in November last year, a ‘super king’, conceding that he was like a puppet in his three-and-a-half-year stint in the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Gen Bajwa had become an expert in everything, including economy, politics, and foreign policy,” Khan said.

“Gen Bajwa used to get the credit for good decisions and Imran Khan used to serve as a punching bag for every wrong decision,” Khan claimed, alleging that the former army chief was responsible for the “political and economic ills” that the country faces today.

He also slammed Bajwa for hampering the process of accountability, claiming that the former army chief had already decided that there won’t be any questions from PM Shehbaz Sharif. (ANI)

Third Russian Dies In Odisha, Body Found Onboard Ship

By LokMarg 3rd January 2023

A Russian national who was working as a chief engineer in a cargo ship was found dead onboard in Odisha, police said on Tuesday. This is the third Russian found dead in the state within a span of two weeks.

Marine police along with other statutory authorities will carry out an investigation of the death of the Russian national, namely Milyakov Sergey, and after that only the final report will be available, police said.
Earlier On December 24, Russian national Pavel Antov died after allegedly falling from a hotel’s third floor. Another Russian national Vladimir Bidenov had earlier died “due to heart attack”, Odisha Police said, citing the post-mortem report.

A team of the Crime Branch along with the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts visited Sai International Hotel in Rayagada on December 30 where the Russian nationals were found dead. The team was led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Saroj Kant Mahanta.

The CID Crime Branch of Odisha Police stepped up the investigation of the death of two Russian nationals including a prominent lawmaker, in Rayagada.

The team inspected the place where the body of Pavel Antov was found lying. The entire area was thoroughly examined with the assistance of forensic experts. The details of the spot map were drawn mentioning all relevant references to the spot. A pair of slippers said to be of deceased Pavel Antov was recovered from the spot.

The investigating team searched for evidence from room no. 203 where Vladimir and Pavel were staying on December 21. It collected all the evidence including slippers and latent fingerprints from glass and other surfaces.

The team also searched thoroughly for evidence in room no. 309 where Pavel Antov was staying alone from December 22 night. Fingerprints found on the materials like glass and water bottles were collected.

The Crime Branch team also discussed with the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Rayagada, IIC Rayagada town police station about the evidence gathered by the local police during their spot visit on the date of the incident.

Odisha police said CID-Crime Branch has been cross-checking the information collected from their co-travellers Pansasenko Natalia and Turov Mikhail. They were further examined at CID-CB headquarters at Cuttack. Their statements were video recorded through an interpreter.

“Both the Russian tourists are fully cooperating with the inquiry,” the Crime Branch said in a statement.

According to the CID-Crime Branch, a preliminary investigation has revealed that the Russian nationals were on a trip to the tribal region of Odisha. (ANI)

Russian Missiles, Drones Attack Ukraine Energy Systems

By LokMarg 17th December 2022

In a fresh wave of attacks, Russia has launched dozens of missiles and drones targetting Ukrainian energy systems, leading to a power emergency for millions of civilians leaving them in pitch dark amid cold winter nights, reported The New York Times.

Explosions shook cities and towns across Ukraine in the second-largest attack this week on Friday.
Vitalii Maletsky, the Mayor of Ukraine’s central city of Kremenchuk told the New York Times that heat was out for more than 200,000 customers as temperatures hovered around 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius).

He implored people to “close all windows and take all possible measures to preserve heat.”

According to Klitschko, in Kyiv, even after hours of repairs, about two-thirds of the residents were left without heat and water and about 60 percent were left without electricity.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was left without power, heating, and water after the new wave of Russian missile strikes across the country. ‘Colossal’ damage said mayor, media reported.

The attack by Russia comes amid warnings from Ukraine’s military and political leaders that Russia is likely to make another attempt to seize Kyiv and was preparing for a new ground offensive this winter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that Russia is not serious about peace and that any pause in the war would only help Russia strengthen its hold on the seized territory and rebuild its forces to launch a fresh assault.

“See how we live. We are fed up! We need to hit back at Russia. Give us weapons. We have enough soldiers, give us weapons,” said Gennady Omelyan, a taxi driver in Kyiv in response to the recent attack on Ukraine, according to The New York Times.

Recently, blasts were heard in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, city mayor Vitaly Klichko wrote on his Telegram channel on Wednesday, reported TASS.

“Explosions in the capital’s Shevchenkovsky district,” the mayor wrote.

According to TASS, an air raid alert was declared in the Ukrainian capital at 05.55 am (6:55 am Moscow time). Sirens also went off in the Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Zhitomir regions.

The Shevchenkivskyi district is located in Kyiv’s central part. There are 71 enterprises in the district’s industrial complex. (ANI)

Not Let Any Indian Language Die: Shah

By LokMarg 31st October 2022

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday urged citizens in the country to “not let any single language of the country die”.

Shah’s remarks came while speaking on the occasion of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 147th birth anniversary.
“We Indians need to decide that no matter how many languages there are in this country, we will not let a single one die,” Shah said while addressing at Sardar Patel School here in the national capital.

Clarifying that he is not against the learning of any language, Shah said, “I am not against learning any language. One can learn, English, German, Russian or French. There is no problem in it. But don’t leave your own language.”

Noting that “we, unfortunately, combine the knowledge of English with intellectual ability in our country”, Shah said, “Language is not indicative of ability. Ability is your own, and it is expressed by any language. Don’t have an inferiority complex about language. Come out of that.”

“If you have the ability then the world will have to listen to you whether you speak in your own or any other language.”

The Minister urged people not to leave their own language, appealed teachers to speak with children in their mother tongue, and asked the youth to protect and take forward their mother tongue.

“We will have to keep alive our mother tongue and carry forward it. The responsibility of breaking the barrier of inferiority complex of language is on youth,” the Union Home Minister said.

Shah said, “If we assume that only those people who know English well can contribute to the development of the country, we connect only five per cent of the country’s population with the development of the country.”

The Minister said, “if we do not involve a child who thinks, speaks, writes and does research and development in his own language, we deprive 95 per cent of the children of the country from the development of the country”.

Referring to suggestions that came in India’s new education policy, Shah said a maximum of them emphasised the need to keep primary education of the children in their own language.

“Technical and medical education also should be in the regional language. Besides, research and development should also be in regional language,” Shah said citing the suggestions received for the new education policy.

The Minister said if we want to make Mahatama Gandhi and Sardar Patel’s country of imagination we should come out of the inferiority complex of language and protect as well as promote our own language.

On Sardar Patel, Shah said, “For a long time, the country did not even do anything to remember the work of Sardar Patel”.

It took so many years for a person like Sardar Patel to get Bharat Ratna, mentioned the Minister on the event, adding, “It took so many years to build Sardar Patel memorial”.

But, Shah said, Sardar Patel is such a person who is immortal by his work.

He said Mahatma Gandhi had idealistic and spiritual leadership, on the other hand, Sardar Patel was a realistic and practical leader, and the combination of these two leaders has given a lot to the country.

Now, the Minister said India has achieved a place in the 75 years of its Independence that no one in the world will be able to dare to insult India’s border and Indian army. (ANI)