India, Sept. 11 -- India on Thursday urged its citizens to stay away from offers to join the Russian Army and said it had taken up the recruitment of Indians with Russian authorities after reports emerged of men on student and business visas being deceived into joining units on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.

The Indian government has repeatedly raised the issue of Indians being tricked into serving in the Russian Army with Russia's top leadership, most recently during external affairs minister S Jaishankar's visit to Moscow last month. Despite Russia's assertion that it stopped recruiting Indians in its armed forces in April 2024, reports continue to come in of Indians serving with Russian formations fighting in Ukraine.

"We once...