Govt Busts ‘3,000 Ukrainians’ Claim
NIA arrests 7 foreign nationals; viral posts on Northeast insurgent training termed fake
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 21st March: The government has dismissed viral social media claims suggesting that thousands of Ukrainians had entered India and were hiding in the Northeast to train insurgent groups, calling the posts “false and misleading.”
Officials clarified that contrary to the circulating claims of around 3,000 individuals, only seven foreign nationals have been arrested so far in connection with the case by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The arrested individuals include six Ukrainian nationals—Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor—and one American citizen, Matthew Aaron VanDyke.
VanDyke is known as an international security analyst and founder of the organisation “Sons of Liberty International.”
According to officials, the accused were initially intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration at airports in Delhi and Lucknow following specific intelligence inputs. They were later taken into custody by the NIA.
Investigations revealed that a group of 14 Ukrainians had entered India on tourist visas and travelled to Assam and Mizoram without necessary permits. They allegedly crossed into Myanmar illegally and were suspected of planning to train armed groups in drone warfare and jamming technologies.
Security agencies believe these activities could have links to insurgent outfits operating against India, raising serious concerns.
The seven accused were produced in court on March 16 and remanded to 11 days of NIA custody. Officials said the investigation is ongoing to uncover the full extent of the network.
Authorities have also cautioned against misinformation, stressing that viral claims about foreign mercenaries and large-scale infiltration are baseless and intended to create panic.
Security agencies remain on high alert and continue to closely monitor developments in the region.
