President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed the dispatch of a special delegation to Russia to explore the possibility of repatriating Sri Lankans who were trafficked to the country.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya disclosed that the government is currently attempting to verify the exact number of Sri Lankans who are in Russia and were reportedly fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.
“The President has issued instructions to send officials from the foreign ministry, the Defence Secretary as well as a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia,” the State Minister said.
“We are finding it difficult to verify how many Sri Lankans are currently in Russia, as many of them had entered the country via India, and through visit visas,” Balasuriya said, adding that some of the migrants had been duped into believing that they will be receiving other employment opportunities.
Unofficial reports indicate that a number between 600 to 800 Sri Lankans are currently in Russia, the Minister said. “This is human trafficking, therefore the first order of business is to stop Sri Lankans migrating to the country,” he stressed. (Newswire)