New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): The entity[“country”,”Ukraine”,”country”] government has formally responded to the arrest of six of its nationals by India’s entity[“organization”,”National Investigation Agency”,”India”] (NIA), with its Ambassador to India submitting an official note of protest demanding their immediate release.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador entity[“person”,”Oleksandr Polishchuk”,”Ukrainian diplomat”] met with entity[“person”,”Sibi George”,”Indian diplomat”], Secretary (West) in the entity[“organization”,”Ministry of External Affairs”,”India”], and handed over the protest note seeking access to the detained citizens and clarification on their arrest.
The NIA has arrested six Ukrainian nationals and one US citizen for allegedly supporting ethnic armed groups in entity[“country”,”Myanmar”,”country”] by supplying weapons and providing training. The individuals have been identified as Matthew Aaron Van Dyke (US citizen), and Ukrainian nationals Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor.
A spokesperson for the entity[“organization”,”United States Embassy”,”India”] confirmed awareness of the situation but declined to comment further, citing privacy considerations.
The accused have been booked under Section 18 (terror conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Special NIA Judge entity[“person”,”Prashant Sharma”,”Indian judge”] remanded all seven individuals to 11-day NIA custody, while the agency had sought 15 days.
The NIA has alleged that the accused were linked with ethnic armed groups and were supporting proscribed insurgent outfits in India by supplying weapons, terrorist equipment, and training. The agency stated that such activities directly impact India’s national security and interests.
In its statement, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that its citizens were detained on March 13 and that preliminary information suggests the charges relate to unauthorized entry into the northeastern state of Mizoram, which requires special permits, as well as the alleged illegal crossing of the India-Myanmar border.
The Ukrainian side asserted that no proven facts currently establish the involvement of its citizens in unlawful activities in India or Myanmar. It also claimed that some media reports contain “distorted interpretations” and “unfounded allegations.”
The statement further noted that Ukrainian consular officials have provided legal assistance to the detainees and attended the court hearing on March 16. However, it alleged that the Embassy did not receive formal notification from Indian authorities regarding the detention.
Ukraine has demanded immediate and unrestricted consular access to the detainees and stated that its Embassy remains in contact with Indian authorities and the families of those arrested.
The ministry also highlighted that certain restricted areas in India lack proper on-ground marking, which could lead to unintentional violations by foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, Special Public Prosecutor entity[“person”,”Atul Tyagi”,”Indian lawyer”], along with Amit Rohila and others, represented the NIA in court. The prosecution alleged that the accused entered India on valid visas but later traveled to Mizoram—a protected area—before crossing into Myanmar and establishing contact with ethnic armed groups.
The case continues to be under investigation. (ANI)
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