Ukraine Demands India Free Citizens Arrested for Alleged Myanmar Drone Training

Six Ukrainian nationals and one American were detained at Indian airports for allegedly crossing into Myanmar without permits to train anti-government groups in drone warfare. Ukraine's foreign ministry is demanding their immediate release, claiming no evidence exists of wrongdoing.

Ukraine’s government is pressing India to free six of its citizens who were detained last week on accusations of illegally entering Myanmar to provide drone warfare training to groups fighting the military junta.

Indian police took the six Ukrainians and one American into custody on March 13 at three separate airports across the country.

Court documents from Monday ordering the seven individuals held until a March 27 hearing reveal they’re charged with unlawfully traveling to India’s northeastern Mizoram state, entering Myanmar without authorization, and instructing anti-junta ethnic militias in drone operations. They’re also accused of smuggling large quantities of drones from Europe into Myanmar through Indian territory.

Mizoram shares a border with Myanmar’s Chin State. Myanmar has been torn apart by civil war and a humanitarian disaster since military forces toppled the democratically elected government led by Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.

India’s National Investigation Agency, the country’s primary anti-terrorism organization, is conducting the investigation into the detained individuals.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry issued a statement Tuesday evening asserting that “no established facts proving the involvement of the said Ukrainian citizens in unlawful activities on the territory of India or Myanmar” exist.

Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk met with Sibi George, a high-ranking Indian foreign ministry official, on Monday to deliver a formal protest note “demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens and access to them,” according to the ministry’s statement.

“We draw attention to the fact that there are certain restricted-access zones in India for foreign nationals, entry to which is possible only with special permits,” the Ukrainian statement noted.

“At the same time, proper marking of such areas on the ground is often absent, which creates a risk of unintentional violation of the established rules.”

A representative from the U.S. embassy acknowledged awareness of the situation but stated that “for privacy reasons, we cannot comment on cases involving U.S. citizens.”

Neither India’s foreign ministry nor Myanmar government officials responded to requests for comment.

The court filing didn’t identify which Myanmar-based ethnic armed organizations the group allegedly contacted.

However, the document cited investigation findings suggesting the accused were suspected of providing assistance to “proscribed Indian insurgent groups by way of supplying weapons and other terrorist hardware and training them, thus affecting national security and interests of India.”

Indian officials have reported that militant organizations that sought sanctuary in Myanmar and participated in its civil conflict returned in 2024, intensifying months of deadly ethnic violence in India’s northeastern Manipur state.

India mandates that foreign visitors obtain special entry permits for certain northeastern border states that have experienced ethnic tensions and security challenges.