Kathmandu: The bodily remains of five Nepalis who were involved in the Russian military and lost their lives in the Russia-Ukraine war have been handed over to their respective families. The deceased, identified as Devan Rai, Hari Prasad Aryal, Pritam Karki, Anit Kumar Saha, and Ganesh Shrestha, were cremated in Russia with the consent of their families, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry further reported that 118 families have requested assistance in locating and repatriating their loved ones who went missing after being recruited by the Russian army. Additionally, the relatives of 166 Nepalis injured in the war have sought help in facilitating their return.

As per the Ministry's data, a total of 36 Nepali youths have died in the conflict so far. Five Nepalis who were injured in the war are currently receiving treatment, with one having returned home. To date, 162 Nepalis have returned home, while 22 applications for DNA testing and six requests for documents from Moscow for compensation have been submitted.

The Ministry is still awaiting certified information on the deaths of several Nepalis, including Bikash Rai from Morang, Netra Bahadur Thapa from Kaski, Uday Raj Tharu from Rupandehi, Pirtam Rai from Bhojpur, Lalit Singh Doval from Darchula, Hem Kumar Magar from Kailali, Tara Prakash Gharti from Salyan, and Ramkumar Budhamagar from Rukum.

Moreover, the Ministry confirmed that several Nepalis have been taken hostage by the Ukrainian army. Among them are Bibek Khatri (Bardiya), Siddhartha Dhakal (Kavre), Bikas Rai (Morang), Pratik Pun (Rolpa), Sujan Subedi (Chitwan), and Ishwor Lamichhane (Makwanpur).