The Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi has accused Russia of circulating fabricated information and attempting to interfere in India’s internal affairs by promoting false claims about detained Ukrainian citizens. In an official statement issued Thursday, the embassy criticised remarks from the Russian foreign ministry, calling them part of a wider disinformation campaign and describing the ministry as acting like a “ministry of propaganda.”
Ukraine said the Moscow statement, attributed to an “official representative,” relied on material concocted within FSB structures and pushed by Kremlin-linked provocateurs to Indian authorities. The embassy alleged the false material portrayed Ukrainians as “terrorists” and bore the hallmarks of a deliberate operation typical of Russian special services, which it accused of routinely using fabrications as a foreign-policy tool to draw other countries into politically motivated narratives.
The embassy warned that such actions showed disregard for India’s sovereignty and institutions and stressed that India’s courts would not operate on the basis of external political instructions. It noted that New Delhi’s judiciary is independent and is not a surrogate for Russian courts that, in Ukraine’s view, issue politically motivated verdicts.
The statement also referenced international legal measures against Russia’s leadership, including the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin issued on 17 March 2023, which found grounds to hold him individually responsible for alleged war crimes involving unlawful deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainians from occupied territories.
Ukraine’s message criticised Russia’s use of private military networks abroad, citing EU sanctions on the Wagner Group for alleged human-rights abuses and destabilising activity. The embassy said Russia exports sabotage and terrorism through private military and security structures operating in many countries and pointed to sanctions since 2021 targeting Wagner fighters, commanders and the economic networks that finance their operations, including links to illicit resource extraction.
The statement also flagged Moscow’s defence cooperation with Myanmar, calling Russia a key arms supplier to Myanmar’s military. It noted a 2026–2030 military cooperation programme under which Myanmar received six Su-30SME fighters in March and earlier deliveries of Mi-38T helicopters, along with personnel training. Ukraine cited UN and General Assembly resolutions condemning Myanmar’s coup and demanding an end to violence, warning that Russian arms supplies undermine regional security.
To counter the circulated allegations, the embassy pointed to Indian law-enforcement statements that it said do not substantiate the claims. It quoted Stephen Lalrinawma, Superintendent of Police, CID (Special Branch), Mizoram Police, who on March 18 said that despite increased border surveillance no suspects had been intercepted and no terror-related activity had been detected in Mizoram. The embassy argued those comments underlined the absence, at this stage, of established evidence supporting the circulated allegations.
Ukraine urged careful assessment based on verified facts rather than unverified information or disinformation, reaffirmed confidence in India’s investigative and judicial systems, and called for an impartial inquiry. The embassy warned Indian authorities against yielding to provocations from outside actors and offered Ukraine’s cooperation in a transparent investigation to establish the objective truth.
