Russian authorities shared data with their Indian counterparts on the actions of six Ukrainian nationals and a US citizen arrested by the Nationwide Investigation Company (NIA) for allegedly coaching ethnic armed teams in Myanmar, folks conversant in the matter mentioned.
Indian businesses are actually targeted on figuring out those that might have assisted the American citizen, Mathew Aaron VanDyke, and the Ukrainian nationals in travelling to Mizoram and crossing into Myanmar, officers mentioned.
The group is suspected to have been making journeys to Myanmar since 2024, allegedly supplying drones and jamming tools and imparting coaching to ethnic teams, they added.
The folks cited above didn’t disclose particulars of the intelligence shared by Russia or the extent of its function within the arrests. They mentioned NIA groups had been working within the north-east for practically three months to trace the suspects. The seven people have been arrested at airports in Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata on March 13.
On Monday, the seven — VanDyke, Maksym Honcharuk, Petro Hubra, Sukmanovskyi Ivan, Stefankiv Marian, Slyviak Taras and Kaminskyi Viktor — have been remanded to NIA custody until March 27 by a Delhi courtroom.
Because the six detained Ukrainians have been reportedly a part of a gaggle of 14 those who had travelled to Myanmar, the officers cited above mentioned that authorities are at present attempting to establish if the opposite eight are nonetheless in Myanmar or have left through India.
A NIA spokesperson too declined to enter particulars and mentioned in an announcement: “Because the case is within the preliminary stage of investigation, we won’t be able to share the small print with you at this stage. The identical will probably be shared at an acceptable time.”
On Wednesday, an Indian lawyer representing the Ukrainians withdrew from the case, citing “skilled exigencies”.
The US embassy has solely mentioned it’s conscious of the matter and declined to say extra. US ambassador Sergio Gor on Wednesday mentioned on social media that he had an “extraordinarily fruitful assembly with Nationwide Safety Advisor Ajit Doval” that lined vital safety and geopolitical points. “Strategic cooperation between the USA and India continues to advance,” he mentioned.
It couldn’t instantly be ascertained whether or not VanDyke’s case figured within the discussions.
Ukrainian ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk instructed HT that his nation is able to cooperate within the probe in opposition to the six Ukrainians and needs the method to be “goal and truthful”.
“The method in opposition to the arrested Ukrainian nationals should be open. The Indian aspect ought to contain Ukrainian consultants and Ukraine is able to cooperate below the phrases of the treaty on mutual authorized help in felony issues that has been in impact since 2003,” Polishchuk mentioned. “We’re not in any approach forcing the courts and the judicial course of should be goal and truthful.”
What NIA mentioned
Based on NIA’s submission in courtroom, the seven people allegedly entered India on vacationer visas on separate dates and “flew to Guwahati and thereafter, they travelled to Mizoram with out requisite paperwork – Restricted Space Allow (RAP)/Protected Space Allow (PAP)”.
The people additionally allegedly “entered Myanmar illegally and so they have been to conduct a pre-scheduled coaching for Myanmar-based ethnic armed teams, recognized to assist terror organisations/gangs working in India within the area of drone warfare, drone operations, meeting and jamming know-how, and many others concentrating on the Myanmar Junta”, the NIA mentioned.
Folks conversant in the matter mentioned the Ukrainian aspect has issues about due course of, together with whether or not its nationals have been introduced earlier than a choose inside 24 hours of arrest, as is legally required, and made conscious of the fees in opposition to them within the Ukrainian language. This is without doubt one of the the explanation why there was a name for them to be supplied with an interpreter, they mentioned.
There are additionally issues about consular entry not being supplied to date, the folks mentioned. The folks additionally clarified that the US aspect has not but sought consular entry to VanDyke.
The NIA has instructed the courtroom that VanDyke and the six Ukrainians have admitted throughout questioning that they carried out coaching for ethnic armed teams in Myanmar on multiple event, along with “illegally importing large consignments of drones from Europe to Myanmar through India” to be used by these teams.
Nonetheless, the folks cited above mentioned no proof has been shared concerning the crimes that the Ukrainian nationals have been accused of. Whereas making it clear that there are not any doubts concerning the professionalism of the Indian judiciary, the folks mentioned it’s crucial to make sure there isn’t a manipulation of the proof in opposition to the Ukrainian nationals.
They mentioned there isn’t a chance of any official sanction for such actions at a time when Ukraine and India are working to raise their relations to a strategic partnership, consistent with an announcement from the leaders of the 2 sides in 2024. Ukraine has additionally had no energetic contacts with Myanmar for the reason that junta got here to energy, the folks mentioned.
Whereas NIA started probing the matter just lately, Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma had mentioned within the state meeting in March 2025 that just about 2,000 foreigners visited Mizoram between June and December 2024 and plenty of of them didn’t come as vacationers and left the state unnoticed. He additionally alleged that UK and US nationals had illegally crossed into Myanmar from Mizoram to supply arms coaching to insurgents within the neighbouring nation.
Van Dyke, in line with his web site, is from Baltimore and has labored as a soldier, worldwide businessman and warfare correspondent after failing to hitch the CIA. He claims to be a founding father of a army contracting agency known as Sons of Liberty Worldwide.
