Top Sri Lankan Officials To Fly To Russia Over Retired Military's Alleged War Role

COLOMBO (News 1st); A delegation of Sri Lankan diplomats will be departing for Russia today to investigate the alleged involvement of retired military personnel from Sri Lanka in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The team includes Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Tharaka Balasuriya, Members of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara and Gamini Valeboda, Defense Secretary (retired) General Kamal Gunaratne, and Dr. Saman Weerasinghe, a former ambassador to Russia.

During their visit, the delegation will hold talks with the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Minister of Defense.These talks are slated for the 26th and 27th.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that there is no specific information regarding the involvement of retired Sri Lankan military personnel in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Minister of State Tharaka Balasuriya cited Russian privacy laws as the reason for the lack of information provided by the Russian government.

As a consequence, official reports on Sri Lankans who lost their lives in the war have not been available. However, according to official information received from Russia, over 450 Sri Lankans have joined the country's armed forces.

In a recent development, Russia has agreed to suspend the recruitment of Sri Lankans for service in their armed forces, following a request from Foreign Minister Ali Sabri.