Five Sri Lankans held as prisoners of war in Ukraine

• Three others died in fighting

By Kelum Bandara

Five Sri Lankan ex-soldiers who joined the Russian military and crossed the border have been arrested by the Ukrainian authorities and held up as prisoners of war, an informed source said yesterday.

Following media reports about Sri Lankans joining the militaries of Russia and Ukraine to fight, the Sri Lanka Embassy in Turkey, which is concurrently accredited to Ukraine, made inquiries about it.

The Ukrainian authorities informed the Sri Lankan mission on Saturday that five Sri Lankans had been held as prisoners of war. Besides, three Sri Lankans fighting with the Ukrainian forces had died in action.

Earlier, a ministerial delegation from Sri Lanka visited Moscow to secure the release of Sri Lankans who joined the Russian military.

Sri Lankans, mostly retired soldiers, had been duped into travelling to Russia with promises of good salaries and privileges including Russian citizenship, according to State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya.

However, they are found to have signed agreements with the Russian defence authorities, making it difficult to get them released. Some have even obtained Russian citizenship.