President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed a team comprising the Defence Ministry Secretary, a Foreign Ministry official, and a former Sri Lankan diplomat to visit Russia to investigate the involvement of Sri Lankans who have joined the Russian military in the Ukraine war, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya said.
Speaking at a press briefing this morning (16), the State Minister stated that an emergency hotline number of the Ministry of Defense is currently operational to collect information about Sri Lankan nationals who have traveled to Russia to join the war.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence, Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, said yesterday that at least 16 Sri Lankan military veterans have been killed fighting in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Sri Lanka opened an inquiry last week into the recruitment of its citizens for the conflict, which has since identified the participation of 288 retired soldiers from Sri Lanka, he said adding that the government has confirmed information about 16 who have been killed.
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