Sri Lanka: Eight Sri Lankan fighters killed in Russia-Ukraine fighting, Defense Ministry said – fraud happened in the name of employment

Eight Sri Lankan fighters have been killed in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Sri Lankan police has given this information. Police officials said that these fighters had joined the armies of Russia and Ukraine. Many former Sri Lankan military personnel have been misled by some foreign agencies in the name of employment abroad. The CID wing of Sri Lankan Police says that six out of eight fighters were killed in Russia, while two were killed in Ukraine. These former military personnel were sent to Russia and Ukraine by some foreign agencies to work as fighters.

Sri Lankan fighters in Russia-Ukraine armies
A report states that currently about 60 former military personnel are working for Russia while 23 are in Ukraine. According to the CID, some agencies have misled many former military personnel from Sri Lanka and sent them to Ukraine and Russia in the name of employment abroad.

Strict action will be taken against the agencies

Sri Lankan Defense Ministry official Kamal Gunaratne said that strict action will be taken against foreign agencies and their racket and arrests will be made. In this case, a retired Major General and a Sergeant have been arrested from the northwestern region of Kurunegala. Gunaratne said that there have also been reports that fighters going to the front are being offered Rs 10-15 lakh as salary. He said that the agencies doing such work have not been identified yet.

Let us tell you that since December 2023, there have been reports of many Sri Lankan fighters being killed in the Russia-Ukraine war. After this, in April 2024, the Defense Ministry of Sri Lanka claimed that there was no deployment of Sri Lankan troops in Ukraine.