Ukraine Urges India to Free Citizens Held in Myanmar Drone Activity Case
NEW DELHI – Ukraine has demanded that India release six of its citizens arrested last week on accusations of illegally entering a restricted border state and traveling to Myanmar to train anti-junta ethnic groups in drone warfare.
Indian authorities arrested the six Ukrainians along with one US citizen at three separate airports on March 13. A court order from Monday remanded them in police custody until a hearing on March 27. They are accused of illegally traveling to Mizoram, India’s northeastern state bordering Myanmar, then crossing into Myanmar to train anti-government ethnic armed groups in drone operations. Authorities also suspect them of illegally importing drones from Europe to Myanmar through India.
India’s National Investigation Agency, the country’s main counter-terrorism body, is leading the investigation. Court documents allege the group supported “proscribed Indian insurgent groups by way of supplying weapons and other terrorist hardware,” affecting national security.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry released a statement Tuesday denying the charges. “There are no established facts proving the involvement of the said Ukrainian citizens in unlawful activities,” it said. Ukraine’s ambassador to India met with a senior Indian foreign ministry official Monday, delivering a formal protest and demanding immediate release and access to the detained citizens.
Ukraine highlighted a procedural concern, noting that “proper marking of such areas on the ground is often absent,” which creates a risk of unintentional violations of entry rules. India requires foreigners to obtain special permits for entry to certain northeastern border states due to historical ethnic tensions and security concerns.
Myanmar has been engulfed in civil war and humanitarian crisis since its military overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. The US embassy said it was aware of the situation but could not comment on the American citizen’s case for privacy reasons.
Neither India’s foreign ministry nor Myanmar’s government responded to requests for comment.
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