The Sri Lankan authorities demand compensation from the Russian Federation for its killed and wounded citizens during the war against Ukraine

During a visit to Russia, a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka requested compensation for its citizens killed and wounded in the war with Ukraine. The delegation is headed by Minister of State for External Affairs Talaka Balasuriya.

At a meeting of Sri Lankan representatives with Deputy Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrei Rudenko and Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Fomin, they discussed the death of 17 Sri Lankans during the war in Ukraine, compensation payments to the wounded and families of the victims, early termination of contracts and the situation of citizens with whom the authorities are not can contact.

According to media reports, at least two thousand Sri Lankan citizens are participating in the war on both sides. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry does not provide the number of wounded citizens participating in the war on the Russian side.

Following the meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a short statement, which stated that during the conversation, “the most pressing issues on the Russian-Sri Lankan agenda were discussed, and mutual interest in maintaining the dynamics of bilateral dialogue, including in the political and trade-economic spheres, was confirmed.”

In May, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered a special delegation to be sent to Russia to investigate the involvement of Sri Lankans in the war in Ukraine. Talaka Balasuriya had previously said:

“We learned that smugglers were fraudulently transporting people to Russia, luring them with false promises, such as the prospect of receiving Russian citizenship.”

He noted that the country's government views this as human trafficking. According to AFP, Sri Lankans in Russia were promised a monthly salary of $2,100, which is 13 times higher than the average income in Sri Lanka, and plots of land in Russia. Relatives of Sri Lankans who went to work in Russia told how they were demonstrating videothat they were counting on “profitable non-combat work,” and are now desperately and vainly trying to return home.

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