In a tweet posted by the Russian Embassy, the Russian Embassy in Colombo denied any involvement in the recruitment of Sri Lankan military members adding it had “no information about the participation of Sri Lankan nationals in the Ukraining conflict on the Russian side, nor data regarding possible numbers.” 

The mission went on to say that it was not aware of local recruiting agencies that hires individuals to join such activities while deceiving them about the true nature of these jobs. 

The tweet was posted in response to media reports about the death of Sri Lankan nationals engaged in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The embassy denies any connection with the return to Sri Lanka of a corporal who allegedly fled from the combat zones,” the mission stated referring to an article published in the Daily News stating this incident. 

❌ The Russian Embassy in Colombo denies any connections with presumed recruiting of Sri Lankans for the Russian Army as it was falsely stated by a “Daily News” journalist pic.twitter.com/3H6ObDFPUU

— Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka (@RusEmbSriLanka) April 19, 2024

In the Daily News article, it is stated that “a retired corporal, who managed to escape from the Russian mercenary force, disclosed that around 500 Sri Lankans are engaged in military activities within the Russian forces. This information led to the arrests of Wijebandara and Bandula.”

The Russian embassy also stated that the protection of the interests and rights of Sri Lankan nationals in the territory of Russia falls under the jurisdiction of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Moscow. 

The embassy went on to state that visas are issued to Sri Lankan nationals based on the valid documentation provided however the embassy was conducting interviews to further ascertain motives. Yet, they would not impede on travel plans if a Sri Lankan national decided to change their course of action upon arriving in Russia. They added that it they received a formal request from Sri Lankan officials, they would oblige. 

The disclosure from the Russian Embassy follows several news reports including that published by Tamil Guardian of Sri Lankan soldiers have died fighting for and against the Russian army on the front lines in Ukraine, as “hundreds” of former soldiers have turned mercenaries amid an economic crisis on the island.

The Sri Lankan military remains one of the largest in the world per capita, despite the end of any Tamil armed resistance movements almost 15 years ago. The sheer size of the Sri Lankan military is staggering; in 2018, the World Bank estimated there were 317,000 service personnel in the country, twice the size of the UK’s regular forces. In some areas across the Tamil homeland, there are as many as one soldier for every two civilians.