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85 Indians discharged from Russian military: Foreign secretary

As many as 85 Indian nationals have been discharged from the Russian military so far and efforts are on to secure the release of 20 more Indians, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.

The Indian side is expected to take up the issue of discharge of the remaining Indians when Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday on the margins of the BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan, people familiar with the matter said. Modi had strongly raised the issue of early discharge of the Indian nationals working in the Russian Army during his talks with Putin in Moscow in July.

The Indian side is in "very close touch" with interlocutors in the foreign and defence ministries of Russia on the issue of Indians "who were, illegally or otherwise, contracted into fighting in the Russian Army", Misri said at a media briefing.