20 May 2024 09:06 am Views - 151
By Kelum Bandara
The defence authorities had received 413 inquiries related to Sri Lankan mercenaries fighting in the Russia - Ukraine war, an informed source said.
There are reports about former Sri Lankan soldiers fighting both with Russian and Ukrainian forces.
According to the source, the defence authorities have received 413 inquiries from family members and relatives of these soldiers.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken a decision to send a top-level delegation led by Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne to Moscow to engage with the Russian authorities about this matter.
However, a Russian Embassy spokesman said the official correspondence is yet to be received from the Sri Lankan side on the visit. The spokesman said Russia is in touch with the Sri Lankan institutions.
“As you know, President Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered to send a delegation to Moscow headed by Mr. Kamal Gunaratne in order to discuss the issues of Sri Lankans’ participation in the conflict. But until now, there is still no official request from your government regarding this mission. We await the correspondent note,” he said.