Nepali Gurkhas joining Wagner group for Russian citizenship, better life

While the prospect of Russian citizenship lures the Nepali Gurkhas, the discontinuation of recruitment to the Indian Army also appears to have played a role in this

The Nepali Gurkhas are joining Russia's private military company, the Wagner group, The Economic Times (ET) has reported. Three days ago, the Wagner group had revolted against Russia's President Vladimir Putin, however, they are now returning to their base after a mutual understanding was reached and Putin agreed to allow their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to accept exile in Belarus and discharge him of treason charges.

During the Russia-Ukraine war, the Wagner group emerged as an effective military asset for the Russian forces, outdoing the Russian military in certain instances. Their potency came to light when Wagner mercenaries took control of Bakhmut for Russia.

Why are Gurkhas joining the Wagner group?

On May 16, Russian authorities made it easier for Nepali Gurkhas to acquire Russian citizenship after serving for one year in the Military. Since this development, hundreds of Nepali youngmen have joined Russian forces as contract soldiers, the ET reported citing The Diplomat. Some of these Nepali soldiers are retired from the Nepal Army.

Expressing his concern on the situation, Major General Binoj Basnyat (retired) of the Nepal Army told EurAsian Times, "This is a concerning situation. The Nepal government is not able to do anything about it as they have gone in an individual capacity."

While the prospect of Russian citizenship lures the Nepali Gurkhas, discontinuing recruitment to the Indian Army also appears to have played a role in this.

As the Indian government introduced its short-tenure recruitment scheme with no pension, the Nepalese government stopped the 200-year-old recruitment process until further clarity.

The ET report discussed the multiple social media videos showing Nepali youths undergoing military training in Russia. In a bid to relax the terms of recruitment, Russia no longer asks for Russian language proficiency from foreigners who join the Russian army, the ET report said.