What we’ve learned from Nepali POWs in Ukraine

When the Monitor first reported on Russia’s recruitment of Nepali citizens two years ago, officials and activists in Kathmandu were still trying to grasp the scale of the problem. Authorities moved to curb departures to Russia, while volunteers scrambled to trace missing men.What once appeared to be isolated cases has since become a pattern. According to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least 118 Nepali nationals have been killed while serving in the Russian army and 132 remain missing – and about a dozen are now prisoners of war in Ukraine.Their testimonies – emerging through official interrogations, media releases, and letters – offer a rare window into how foreign nationals are being drawn into the conflict. Why We Wrote This Similar to what's happening in African countries, many Nepalis have been drawn into the Ukraine war with misleading promises of high-paying, noncombat roles. Some have been captured as prisoners of war, and their testimonies offer important intel for militaries – and comfort for families back home. In an interrogation video published by The Kyiv Independent, for example, a Nepali prisoner describes how he traveled to Russia in search of work after falling into debt, only to be deployed to the