The government on Friday dismissed viral social media claims that around 3,000 Ukrainians had entered India and were hiding in the Northeast to train insurgent groups. Officials clearly said that these posts are false and misleading. According to the statement, some posts even claimed that these individuals were backed by US mercenaries and were supplying cheap drones to terrorists. The government rejected all such claims and labelled them as “fake”.
7 foreign national arrested
The government clarified that only seven foreign nationals have been arrested so far in connection with the case. These include six Ukrainians and one American citizen. The arrests were made by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after they were caught trying to enter Myanmar illegally through Mizoram.
Who are the accused?
Among those arrested is Matthew Aaron VanDyke, an American citizen. He is known as an international security analyst and is the founder of an organisation called “Sons of Liberty International”.
The six Ukrainian nationals have been identified as:
- Hurba Petro
- Slyviak Taras
- Ivan Sukmanovskyi
- \Stefankiv Marian
- Honcharuk Maksim
- Kaminskyi Viktor
They were first detained at airports in Delhi and Lucknow before further action was taken. The arrests happened after a specific intelligence tip-off last week. The Bureau of Immigration initially stopped the suspects at major airports. Later, the NIA took over the case and formally arrested them.
Officials said all agencies remain alert and are closely monitoring the situation.
Illegal entry and suspected activities
According to the FIR, a total of 14 Ukrainians had entered India on tourist visas on different dates. They later travelled to Assam and Mizoram without the required permits. From there, they allegedly crossed into Myanmar illegally. Investigators believe they were planning to train armed groups in drone warfare and jamming technology.
These groups are said to have links with insurgent organisations that operate against India, raising serious security concerns. The seven accused were produced in court on March 16 and have been sent to NIA custody for 11 days. The investigation is still ongoing, and officials are working to find out the full details of the case.
