Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, took a strong stance on the issue of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army and the Russian government has assured an "early discharge" of these Indians from the army service, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Tuesday.

In a conversation with ANI, Balwinder Singh said, "I have come across several media reports and got to know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia. Even my son told me over the phone that PM Modi reached Russia and held talks with the government regarding the release of the trapped Indians."

Singh further said that his son, Gagandeep Singh, informed him that the trapped Indians are sent to the battlegrounds and kept in 'bunkers', which are defensive military fortifications to shield people in the war-hit zones.

"My son told me over the phone that the trapped Indians are sent to battlegrounds, having been handed over guns and grenades. They are kept in bunkers. However, with Prime Minister Modi's visit to the country, there is now a ray of hope for our trapped countrymen in the Russian army", he said.

Several Indians were allegedly duped into fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs. In April, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), had busted a major human trafficking network running across the country targeting Indian nationals on the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad but allegedly sending them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone. -- ANI