INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
At least 16 citizens of Sri Lanka fighting as mercenaries have been killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, the island nation's deputy
defense minister said Wednesday.Sri Lankan authorities opened an inquiry last week into the recruitment of its citizens in the war and have
since identified 288 retired soldiers who participated in the conflict, Deputy Defense Minister Pramitha Tennakoon said."We have confirmed
information about 16 who have been killed," he told reporters in Colombo without saying whether those killed had been fighting on the side
of Moscow or Kyiv.But ruling party lawmaker Gamini Waleboda told parliament on Monday that most had been recruited to fight alongside the
non-combat roles, echoing similar claims made by authorities in nearby India and Nepal after a number of their citizens were killed in the
to fall prey to the recruitment drive.The Sri Lankan government was also in talks with the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministries to track
down Sri Lankans in the two countries and bring them back safely."This is a delicate issue," Tennakoon said
"We are friends with Russia, we are friends with Ukraine
Both are important for us so we are talking to the foreign ministries to get our people back safely."Complaints began pouring in from
relatives after the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry opened its probe last week to collect information on those who had traveled to both
countries to join the war effort.Sri Lanka has repeatedly warned its citizens against traveling to Russia or Ukraine to join the
fighting.But there are no restrictions on Sri Lankans traveling abroad and large numbers of citizens have left in the wake of an
unprecedented economic crisis in mid-2022.Police arrested two retired army officers, including a major general, last week for illegally
acting as recruiting agents for Russian mercenary companies.India and Nepal have also confirmed that numerous citizens of those countries
had been recruited to fight alongside the Russian army over the past year.At least 19 Nepalis had been killed in combat, according to
figures from the Himalayan republic released in March.
