To Russia, With Love?

By N Sathiya Moorthy

Reports that over 2,000 ex-Servicemen were/are serving the Russian military as mercenaries in the Ukraine War should be a cause for concern. On the face of it, it reflects on the continuing state of the nation?s economy, which the government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe began claiming long ago, was on the road to recovery. Yes, these mercenary soldiers went away maybe in the months following the economic crisis this time two years back, but the fact that they had spent their life?s saving, that too, on such a dangerous expedition as this one, should also highlight how ?severance education? remains poor for men in uniform when they finally hang their boots.

Earlier, the stories used to be on how ex-Servicemen, especially the soldier class, used to be cheated by local land-sharks and/or even close relatives. The former would sell land that was not for sale and/or at prices much higher than the market price. The latter, the relative types, beginning with brothers and brothers-in-law, would borrow money on ventures that were not expected to make profit for them to be able to repay the principal along with interest at market rates.

The fact that two retired generals, who acted as recruitment agents and six others who worked on logistics in shipping off these ex-Service men to the Ukrainian war-front, as if it were a slaughter-house, should show how porous the system has become ? for no real fault of the political or bureaucratic leadership. Maybe, their bank accounts may say a lot more than is visible and is believed.

But to believe that no one in the upper echelons of the armed forces had heard about what was happening is impossible to conceive. Of course, no one from the top-brass has said anything in the matter, for anyone to contest or even corroborate whatever they say. That includes veterans from the higher ranks, starting with Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who loses no opportunity to talk politics like a seasoned politician, seldom sparing a moment of thought for his own men from the past ? some of whom might have been among those mercenaries.

That President Ranil Wickremesinghe too ignored the subject while launching Fonseka?s book only goes on to show how alive and aware the people are about the subject in urban Colombo. Hence, even media reports and strategist analyses have stopped with reproducing whatever the official statement is.

Sensitive, but…

Fair enough, it is a sensitive issue involving a friendly nation, that too involving an even more sensitive matter such as this one. But that has not been the case when any or many of them target the closest neighbour, India, for instance. There are other nations in the list, starting with the US, but that is another matter, so to say.

Yes, that way, the Russian Embassy in Colombo openly asked why the government was talking only about ex-Servicemen from Sri Lanka going away to join the Russian armed forces, or their ?agency troops? by whatever name, and not about the other side. Without naming the US, Amb Levan S Dzhagaryan, said one nation was interested in driving a wedge in Russia-Sri Lanka relations.

Am Dzhagaryan had a point, but it might have been explained away by the fact that only one Sri Lankan is known to have died on the? Ukrainian side whereas the figure stood at 17 in the case of Russia. But does it mean that no Sri Lankan was enrolled as a mercenary on the Ukrainian side? Unless families speak up, there is no way of knowing, or at least confirming.

Maybe, both security agencies and intelligence outfits have to launch a special drive to get to know the number of ex-Servicemen, including the Special Task Force (STF) and other specialised branches of the uniformed services, from the days of the forgotten LTTE war. Maybe, they should also try to find out if any of the erstwhile LTTE cadres who were/are well-versed in handling multiple weapons on the war-front too are similarly enrolled with one or the other of the warring nations.

This does not preclude either of these Sri Lanka groups of trained men taking up jobs in other areas of conflict, or in more honest engagements in big-ticket security agencies that provide proximity security to high-value individuals, like industrialists, film stars and even politicians, elsewhere in the country. If they are operating also in Sri Lanka, likewise, at least, no one has seen them at work ? and not certainly in action.

Citizenship, compensation

It was thus heartening to note the bipartisan concern expressed by Parliament some time ago, and the government despatching a high-level delegation under State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya, for talks with Russian officials. The delegation included parliamentarians across the aisle, and discussed early repatriation of Sri Lankans working for the Russian army, especially in the front-lines.

The Sri Lankan delegation, according to official statements, sought compensation for the 17 ex-Servicemen who lost their lives in the war that was not theirs in the first place. ?Of course, there were those among those serving the Russian military who had not contacted their families and who had not contacted their families, either. And what if some of these mercenaries wanted to return home ? which is what had triggered it all in the first place?

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has since indicated that some of these ex-Servicemen from the country might have taken up Russian citizenship. Does it mean they took up Russian citizenship, out of ?love? for that country or its international ideologies? Or, did they even know what papers they were signing and what it all entailed?

Minister Sabry clarified that in the case of mercenaries with Russian citizenship, the government was helpless unless of course they now opted for dual-citizenship. The government may then consider the possibilities of legal assistance and/or political push, he possibly implied but did not say.

Minister Sabry also clarified that compensation for those leaving the Russian mercenary armies would be governed by the contracts that they had signed. But given that it is all political, and it is also an election year, there may be reasons for the government to be pro-active and do whatever is possible and whatever needed doing ? not sticking to the rules of contracts and laws of contracts!

(The writer is a Chennai-based Policy Analyst & Political Commentator. Email: sathiyam54@nsathiyamoorthy.com)