Sri Lankan court remands suspects held in ex-soldiers’ scam linked to Russia-Ukraine war

A Sri Lankan court has remanded five suspects, including a retired Major General, who were arrested in connection with a human smuggling operation, till May 30. 

The accused were involved in a scam to send former military personnel to serve in the Russian and Ukrainian forces amidst their ongoing war.

According to police, the Sri Lankan mercenaries had joined Russian and Ukrainian forces after unscrupulous foreign employment agencies misled them in the name of foreign employment. 

The former major, a Sergeant of the Sri Lanka Army and three people from a foreign employment agency had facilitated the ex-military personnel's travel by charging large sums of money. 

All the suspects were produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court on May 16 which remanded them till May 30. The licence of the foreign employment agency in question is also most likely to be suspended.  

The relatives say some of these retired Army personnel, who had departed in March, had made no contact with them since and urged government intervention to locate them. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka blamed unscrupulous employment agencies and ex-servicemen for being part of the racket. 

The state minister of foreign affairs Tharaka Balasuriya said President Ranil Wickremesinghe had instructed foreign minister Ali Sabry to send a high-powered delegation to Russia to look into the matter. 

Balasuriya said a large number of Sri Lankans had gone to Russia under tourist visas.  

“Among them were a significant number of retired military personnel”, Balasuriya said. 

Sri Lankan defence ministry admitted at least 16 retired military personnel have been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.