# India in talks with Ukraine and Russia to bring back stranded citizens 2026-10-28T16:34:27+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets (4 source reports) India is holding talks with Ukraine to secure the release of an Indian national in custody there, the Ministry of External Affairs said on 28 October. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a press briefing in New Delhi that consular visits have been conducted to check on the man’s well-being. Separately, the government continues discussions with Russia over the return of Indians serving in the Russian armed forces. Jaiswal said that of about 259 Indian citizens recruited into the Russian army, 139 have been discharged and returned home, and negotiations are under way for 69 others still believed to be with the military. The MEA has repeatedly warned citizens against taking jobs with the Russian military, calling it a dangerous path. Minister Piyush Goyal said on 23 October in Berlin that India goes beyond merely issuing travel advisories, recalling the evacuation of about 22,000 Indians from Ukraine after the war began. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The coverage is uniform straight reporting, with all three outlets reproducing the MEA spokesperson's statements nearly verbatim. Morung Express alone includes the specific figure of 259 Indian citizens recruited into the Russian army, 139 discharged, and 69 still under discussion, numbers the other two outlets omit. The shared framing emphasises diplomatic engagement and government action, with only ANI and Kalinga TV extending the story to Minister Piyush Goyal's diaspora remarks, which are absent from Morung Express. The balanced reading confirms that New Delhi is pursuing parallel tracks with both Kyiv and Moscow, but that around 69 Indians in Russian military service remain unaccounted for as of 28 October 2026. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - morungexpress.com (neutral report) Leads with talks with Ukraine on one national in custody - ANI - aninews.in Opens with 'duped' framing, adds Goyal defence of government - kalingatv.com Text identical to ANI, includes same Goyal remarks This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Ministry of External Affairs, Narendra Modi, Piyush Goyal, Randhir Jaiswal, Russia, Ukraine Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-in-talks-with-ukraine-and-russia-to-bring-back-stranded-citizens/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-in-talks-with-ukraine-and-russia-to-bring-back-stranded-citizens/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/