Ukraine has issued a formal diplomatic protest, demanding the immediate release of six of its citizens detained by Indian authorities. The individuals were arrested alongside a United States national on allegations of illegally entering a restricted border region and crossing into neighbouring Myanmar to provide drone warfare training to anti-junta ethnic armed groups.
Arrests and Allegations
The arrests occurred on the night of 13 March at three separate airports in India. A Delhi court order, issued on Monday, remanded all seven individuals in police custody until a hearing scheduled for 27 March. The order accuses them of travelling illicitly to India's northeastern state of Mizoram, which shares a border with Myanmar's Chin State.
From Mizoram, they allegedly crossed into Myanmar, a nation engulfed in civil war since the 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The court document states the group is suspected of training ethnic armed groups opposing the military junta in drone warfare and illegally importing large consignments of drones from Europe into Myanmar via India.
Ukraine's Diplomatic Protest
In a statement released late on Tuesday, Ukraine's foreign ministry asserted that "there are no established facts proving the involvement of the said Ukrainian citizens in unlawful activities on the territory of India or Myanmar." The Ukrainian Ambassador to Delhi, Oleksandr Polishchuk, met with senior Indian foreign ministry official Sibi George on Monday, delivering a formal note of protest.
The note demanded the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens and guaranteed consular access to them. The Ukrainian statement also highlighted potential ambiguities in India's border regulations, noting that while certain zones require special permits for foreign nationals, proper on-the-ground marking is often absent, "which creates a risk of unintentional violation of the established rules."
Investigation and Broader Security Concerns
The probe into the six Ukrainians and the American is being led by India's premier counter-terrorism body, the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Citing an investigation update, the court order suggested the accused were suspected of offering support to "proscribed Indian insurgent groups by way of supplying weapons and other terrorist hardware and training them, thus affecting national security and interests of India."
While the court order did not name the specific Myanmar-based ethnic groups allegedly contacted, the case touches on significant regional security concerns. Indian officials have previously stated that militant groups which took refuge in Myanmar and participated in its civil war returned to India in 2024, exacerbating a deadly ethnic conflict in the northeastern state of Manipur.
International Responses and Silence
A spokesperson for the US embassy in India confirmed awareness of the situation but declined to comment further, citing privacy reasons regarding cases involving US citizens. The Indian foreign ministry and a spokesperson for the Myanmar government did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
India maintains strict entry requirements for foreigners travelling to several northeastern border states, including Mizoram, due to a history of ethnic tension and security volatility. Permits are mandatory for these restricted-access zones, a regulation now at the centre of this international diplomatic dispute.
