Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has requested the Russian government not to recruit Nepali citizens into the Russian army and return those who have already joined their fighting forces.

Minister Saud made the request with Vershinin Sergey Vasilievich, deputy foreign minister of the Russian Federation, during their meetings on the sidelines of the Summit of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) being held in Kampala of Uganda, on Friday, according to a press note issued by the minister’s secretariat.

"We informed the Russian side that we have no policy of allowing our citizens to join any foreign army except for the countries that have a bilateral agreement with us to this effect," Saud was quoted as saying.

Saud also requested the Russian deputy minister to repatriate the bodies of the Nepalis who lost their lives while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine and to provide compensation for their families.

"The Russian side told us that they would provide compensation to the victims' families as per the Russian legal provisions," Saud said. According to him, the Russian leader assured him of taking the initiative to address the concerns raised by the Nepali side.