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Nepalis play Russian roulette in distant war

&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024031910034_3e6b3ba8e5d3fe0838da763c4497d2d8db91351886511d57ac41889ed6432071.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024031910034_3e6b3ba8e5d3fe0838da763c4497d2d8db91351886511d57ac41889ed6432071" data-rendition-name="original" width="800" height="533" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russia-Ukraine war"> <figcaption>Home of Raghu Nath Adhikari in Kapurthan in Jhapa. Inset: Ganga Ram Adhikari who was fighting in the Russian Army. Photo: SUJATA DHUNGANA</figcaption> </figure>  As the afternoon sun blazed down one afternoon last week, neighbours gathered at the house of Raghu Nath Adhikari in Kapurthan village of Jhapa district in Nepal’s southeastern plains. &nbsp; Raghu Nath got off his bicycle, and joined the crowd at his house. Breathing heavily, he told his neighbours, “The astrologer said that nothing has happened and that we will receive news by next Saturday, but the person himself will not come back to us.”&nbsp; The well-wishers were crestfallen, not knowing what words they could offer the elderly man. Adhikari then quietly entered his house. The day before, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry had published the names of seven more <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/10-nepalis-from-one-town-fighting-in-ukraine">Nepalis who had died fighting in the Russian Army</a> on the Ukraine front. The fourth name on the list was: Ganga Ram Adhikari, Jhapa (pictured, below).&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024031910030_ad5b583fc9f6990cc1a40d2c152c4a34134aa1ca51418ff5214592a4b8257407.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2024031910030_ad5b583fc9f6990cc1a40d2c152c4a34134aa1ca51418ff5214592a4b8257407" data-rendition-name="original" width="623" height="885" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russia-Ukraine war"> </figure>  The name of Raghu Nath Adhikari’s son in family circles is Gopal so family and neighbours of 33-year-old Ganga Ram are still hopeful that it is mistaken identity and he is still alive. Which is why his father went to see the astrologer with his son’s horoscope. &nbsp; This was not the first time the family has visited the astrologer. Ever since Ganga Ram left for Russia in October last year, they have taken his horoscope to the fortune teller and his answer had always been the same: “Don’t worry, nothing has happened to your son.” Villagers had received word from fellow <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-in-the-russian-army-want-to-quit">Nepalis in Russia</a> on 26 January that Ganga Ram had been killed in action. But while Ganga Ram’s wife Anuradha and mother Manmaya had collapsed in tears, Raghu Nath refused to believe the news, because two days earlier he had heard that his son had been injured. &nbsp; Anuradha has been listless since the news, and well-wishers come by regularly to offer solace.&nbsp; Anuradha and Ganga Ram were high school sweethearts and had got married in Grade 9. Anuradha dropped out after she got pregnant, but Ganga Ram completed his school and went to Qatar as a migrant worker which was where he was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/from-frying-pan-into-fire-for-nepalis-in-russian-army">recruited by middlemen for the Russian Army</a>.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024031910030_703c3b7eb0fd10ce7b78fa9fbd320c69390814b0e0b3aa5726ed0df3b21a9249.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2024031910030_703c3b7eb0fd10ce7b78fa9fbd320c69390814b0e0b3aa5726ed0df3b21a9249" data-rendition-name="original" width="2783" height="1791" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russia-Ukraine war"> <figcaption>Ganga Ram's wife, Anuradha. </figcaption> </figure>  Ganga Ram and Anuradha had spoken on the phone daily since he reached Russia, much like they did in the ten years he was in Qatar. But that stopped two months ago. “I don’t remember him ever missing our daily check-ins,” says Anuradha now, eyes red-rimmed from crying constantly. “What kind of news is this from the government? How can I believe that he is dead?” Ganga Ram formally joined <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/graves-of-nepali-soldiers-in-russia">the Russian Army</a> in November and underwent combat training for the next two months. He spoke on the phone with his wife and family after completing training on 18 January, telling them that he would be in the battlefront and may not be in touch for months. "Don’t worry about me,” &nbsp;he told them, "I will call you when I get back."  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024031910030_fc213406d77353d3c6498d5004a8019cbac00c8af7e1a4e24d1997ca81c03a81.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="2024031910030_fc213406d77353d3c6498d5004a8019cbac00c8af7e1a4e24d1997ca81c03a81" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="677" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russia-Ukraine war"> <figcaption>Ganga Ram (far left) joined the Russian Army in November 2023.</figcaption> </figure>  Sleep was hard to come by for Ganga Ram’s family that night, and they prayed to the gods for his safety. Anuradha has not let her cell phone out of her sight after that last conversation with him, hoping that her husband will call once again.&nbsp; She tells neighbours, “I have heard that Ganga Ram is wounded in his arms and legs and is in hospital. But even so, he should remember me.” Family and neighbours have begun to come to terms with the fact that the Ganga Ram Adhikari on the government’s list and their Gopal are one and the same. Raghu Nath is still trying to gather evidence about whether or not it is his son’s name on the list.&nbsp; “Maybe the old man had been trying to be strong and convince himself that his son was fine all this time,” says Raghu Nath’s neighbour Tika Maya Tawa. “The radio is always on at my house, but I have turned it off now because I cannot bear to hear news.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024031910030_13c56be6fcd84149d6ab4d2b9cb55589c39a8d2e5774fdbe209c54f71c1d84e0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="2024031910030_13c56be6fcd84149d6ab4d2b9cb55589c39a8d2e5774fdbe209c54f71c1d84e0" data-rendition-name="original" width="720" height="568" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russia-Ukraine war"> </figure>  Ganga Ram’s relatives know that his remains cannot be brought back, as has been the case with <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/3-more-nepalis-in-russian-army-killed">other Nepalis who died fighting for the Russians</a>. They are hoping that the government officially releases his photo or the names of his parents, so that they can begin to perform his last rites.&nbsp; “We have no hopes of the government bringing back his body, we just want confirmation that Gopal is the Ganga Ram Adhikari mentioned in the list,” says a neighbour. Raghu Nath has not been to the astrologer again since last week. Heartbroken, he seems finally to have accepted that his son is not coming home.

Kin of Nepalis in Russian Army seek astrologers

Families of Nepali who <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-in-the-russian-army-want-to-quit">enlisted in the Russian Army</a> after being promised huge salaries and citizenship now want to come home and their families are campaigning in Kathmandu to pressure both governments.&nbsp; Kritu Bhandari, who is leading the campaign, said she had counted at least 531 Nepalis in the Russian Army based on information given by family members. All are on the Ukraine front. More than 1,000 relatives have contacted the campaign to appeal for their return.&nbsp; “We have been reaching out to the families of the Nepalis who joined the Russian Army to get more details,” said Bhandari, adding that the campaign is lobbying the Nepali and Russian government to facilitate their return.&nbsp; Families of 127 of the Nepali soldiers on the Ukraine front have appealed for their return, and family members of 116 of those injured during combat have provided details of their state. However, says Bhandari, 272 Nepalis in the Russian military are out of touch.&nbsp; So far, 16 Nepali soldiers <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/3-more-nepalis-in-russian-army-killed">have died in combat</a>, including Raj Kumar Roka of Dolakha, Bharat Bahadur Shah of Kailali, Devan Rai of Kaski, Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam, Rupak Karki of Kapilvastu, Sandip Thapaliya of Gorkha, Kundan Singh Nagal of Darchula, Sanjay KC of Banke, Sundar Moktan of Rasuwa, Jit Bahadur Pun of Dang, Pritam Karki and Hari Prasad Aryal of Syangja, Raj Kumar Giri and Purna Bahadur Gurung of Dhading, as well as Sajan Gurung and Santosh Gurung of Lamjung.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024022512020_d994b8782b0e2c518d9779f5723418475090bac8f938188868c08c42e4bbb75b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2024022512020_d994b8782b0e2c518d9779f5723418475090bac8f938188868c08c42e4bbb75b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="531 Nepalis in Russia NT"> </figure>  The campaign has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal demanding he take diplomatic initiatives for the return of the remains of those killed, treatment of those injured in combat, as well as the rescue and repatriation of Nepalis who <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/from-frying-pan-into-fire-for-nepalis-in-russian-army">remain in the military</a>. They have also asked for compensation to the families of the dead and injured. Family members of the men killed also lit lamps at Bhasmeswor Ghat in Pashupati on Saturday evening to pray for the return of their loved ones. Nepali soldiers who have deserted the Russian military and come back to Nepal have spoken of poor treatment, lack of proper combat training, and not being paid the salary promised by recruiters in Nepal and the Gulf.&nbsp; They say that the number of Nepalis in active combat zones is much higher than the Nepal government’s estimates. This paper previously reported on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/10-nepalis-from-one-town-fighting-in-ukraine">10 young men from the same neighbourhood </a>of a town in Nepal who ended up in the Russian military who said there were 200 Nepalis in just one training camp.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240225110256_f3bed4c84b1604950633804e946dbc3da36577b63ea3d14c1ab23fca7cdaa95c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240225110256_f3bed4c84b1604950633804e946dbc3da36577b63ea3d14c1ab23fca7cdaa95c" data-rendition-name="original" width="800" height="511" loading="lazy" alt="531 Nepalis in Russia NT"> <figcaption>Family members of the men killed fighting for the Russian Army lit lamps at Bhasmeswor Ghat in Pashupati on Saturday.</figcaption> </figure>  Meanwhile, four Nepali soldiers in the Russian Army are known to have been c<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/6-nepali-kia-and-4-pows-in-ukraine">aptured and detained by Ukrainian forces</a>: Bibek Khatri from Bardia, Siddharth Dhakal from Kavre, Bikas Rai from Letang, and Pratik Magar from Rolpa. A few Nepalis are also fighting on the other side in the Ukrainian Army.&nbsp; The Nepal government has tried to control nationals going to Russia, and arrested recruiters said to be involved in supplying soldiers to the Russian Army. Recruiters are said to have lured young Nepalis to Russia with promises of six months of training during which they are paid Rs500,000 a month, as well as eventual Russian citizenship. More than anything else, Nepali recruitment in the Russian Army demonstrates the desperation of the youth in Nepal and the lengths they are willing to go to get well-paying jobs.&nbsp; Last week, the Indian government also officially asked Russia to facilitate the return of its nationals who are also fighting in Ukraine. India has called its nationals being involved in ‘army support jobs’, but most reports say they are seeing action on the Ukraine front. There are said to be hundreds of Indians in the Russian Army, and at least one has been reported killed in action.

531 Nepalis in Russian Army

Several of the seven Nepalis who joined the Russian Army and were killed in the Ukraine war were retired from the Nepal police and military, or were former Maoist guerrillas. &nbsp;
On Wednesday, Nepal’s foreign ministry announced the death of the seventh known <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/3-more-nepalis-in-russian-army-killed" target="_blank">Nepali killed in action on the Ukraine front.</a> He is Kundan Nagal from one of Nepal’s remotest districts, Darchula.
Five years ago he had retired from Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF), a group that was formed in 2000 before the Nepal Army got involved in the insurgency to fight the Maoist rebels.
The Foreign Ministry did not reveal any details about Nagal, but Nepali Times has learnt that he had been in the APF for 14 years &nbsp;after the ceasefire. The APF mainly guards infrastructure and border areas of Nepal.
Nagal is said to have decided to quit the APF and also leave Nepal because he was worried about not being able to support his family with the salary he got in Nepal. He first migrated to Dubai and worked in the police for three years.
During the Covid pandemic, he left that job and returned to Nepal and moved his family to Mahendranagar in the plains of western Nepal. His wife and two children live there.
Nagal’s former colleagues in the APF remember him as an able trainer, who was lured by traffickers in Dubai in November to join the Russian Army and promised a big salary.
Because of his police background and familiarity with firearms he was immediately deployed on the Ukraine front, and had called his family on 7 November to say he had been sent to ‘Red Zone’ and would not have reliable mobile connections.&nbsp;
“He had no illusions that it was dangerous where he was going,” recalls Kundan’s brother Rabindra. “He told me he did not know whether he would come out of it alive.”
But the very next day on 8 November, a Nepali fellow-soldier somehow got word to Nepal that Kundan had been injured. But he had been out of contact since then, until the Foreign Ministry announced he had died on 20 December.
Meanwhile, Kundan’s wife Pratikshya was still waiting to hear that his injuries were being treated. Out of the blue, she found out through the media the Foreign Ministry’s press statement that her husband was dead.&nbsp;
The only other information the ministry divulged was his passport number, and it was on that basis that the family was sure it was him. Rabindra is convinced that his brother’s body is not going to come back.
Pratikshya is in shock and in no condition to speak to anyone. Her husband had been sending money regularly from Dubai, and the family’s new house is nearing completion. Kundan had not been able to send any more from Russia after he got there last month.
“The real worry is the children and how they will be raised,” says Bikram Kunwar, Pratikshya’s brother.&nbsp;
Two other ex-APF security guards in Dubai had also gone to Russia with Kundan. The two are also on the frontlines, and have told their families that they left Nepal because of low pay in the police force.
Another Nepali in the Russian Army, Bharat Shah, was killed on 20 November in Avdiivka but the family got the news from fellow Nepalis last week. Shah had also been wounded on the frontlines, and died because of delayed treatment.
Shah’s family carried out a ritual funeral for him on the banks of the Karnali last week. He had a wife, a son, and an infant daughter. The Russian Army has denied there are foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine.
There are said to be at least 700 Nepalis in the Russian Army who have been attracted by the promise of a much higher salary and Russian citizenship.
Among those killed are: Kundan Nagal and Bharat Shah, Pritam Karki of Syangja, Raj Kumar Roka of Dolakha, Sandip Thapaliya, Rupak Karki of Kapilvastu and Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam.
Four Nepalis in the Russian Army have been captured by the Ukrainians, and Nepal is working with the ICRC to bring them home. Pratik Pun of Dang, Siddharth Dhakal of Kavre, and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepali-captured-in-ukraine" target="_blank">Bibek Khatri of Bardia</a> were all captured in Ukraine in the past three months.
The Nepal government announced that Nepalis going to Russia on tourist visas now need no objection certificates from the Consular Department. About 10 agents who were involved in sending the Nepalis to the Russian Army were arrested last week. But the traffickers simply moved to Dubai and are recruiting Nepalis there.&nbsp;
Among them was Ram Chandra Khadka from Rukum who saw action as a Maoist guerrilla in the battle of Khara in 2002. Khadka, 36, was approached by traffickers in October and sent to Bakhmut where he was injured, and is now being treated in a Moscow Hospital.&nbsp;
Several Nepalis have paid the same traffickers who took them to Russia to bring them back after deserting the Russian Army. &nbsp;They have spoken of poor treatment, not being paid the promised salary and dangerous conditions. They said the Russians were now trying to prevent desertions.

From frying pan into fire for Nepalis in Russian Army

The number of Nepalis in the Russian Army appears to be much higher than the 200 that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal estimated last week, even as news came of the sixth known <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/3-more-nepalis-in-russian-army-killed">Nepali killed in action on the Ukraine front.</a> Bharat Shah (pictured above), 36, was killed on 20 November in the strategic town of Avdiivka but the family received the news only on 15 December. A fellow Nepali conscript in the Russian Army informed the family that Shah had been wounded but died when he did not receive emergency treatment in time.&nbsp; Shah was working as a ‘royal guard’ in Dubai, but had been attracted by the promise of a much higher salary and promise of Russian citizenship. He was flown to Moscow only three months ago along with other Nepali recruits. "I had told him time and time again not to go to Russia to become a soldier because we had heard bad things,” Shah’s younger brother Mahendra told Nepali Times. “We had always feared the worst.” After hearing about Bharat Shah’s death, his family in Kailali district performed a cremation ritual on the banks of the Karnali River on Saturday without his body. Shah leaves behind a wife, a son, and a two-month-old daughter.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231217161248_e6ce541d81bdc910660211707e3384d3eb17f2f01030ddc37fd2c0c208cc0cbc.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231217161248_e6ce541d81bdc910660211707e3384d3eb17f2f01030ddc37fd2c0c208cc0cbc" data-rendition-name="original" width="1938" height="1226" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Ukraine"> <figcaption>Bharat Shah joined the Russian Army and was killed in Ukraine in November.</figcaption> </figure>  However, like the other Nepalis killed in action, there has been no information from the Russian military about Shah. Indeed, Russia has not officially acknowledged that there are foreign mercenaries in its army fighting in Ukraine. Another young man from Kanchanpur who is also in the Russian Army in the ‘Red Zone’ on the Ukraine front broke military regulations to send a mobile text message to his family that fighting was fierce, it was really cold, and that there was little chance of him making it out alive.&nbsp; He also said that there were 200 Nepalis just in one camp where he had been trained, and believed that there were many more. Soldiers on the frontlines are not allowed to use mobile phones for fear of being tracked by the Ukrainians. A few Nepalis are also fighting on the other side in the Ukrainian Army.&nbsp; Four Nepali prisoners of war are also in detention by the Ukrainians, and Foreign Minister N P Saud said on Friday that he is using diplomatic channels to bring them home. Among them are Pratik Pun from Dang, Siddharth Dhakal of Kavre, and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepali-captured-in-ukraine">Bibek Khatri of Bardia</a> – all captured from Bakhmut and Zaporizhia sectors in the past three months.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120601124_b55402221065995b1711d8b3df3a8c6d78be93ccb80e5f8718a70d3e638c39b2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2023120601124_b55402221065995b1711d8b3df3a8c6d78be93ccb80e5f8718a70d3e638c39b2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russian Army NT"> <figcaption>Rupak Karki was killed on 30 June after joining the Russian Army to fight on the Ukraine front. A photo appearing to show is grave has been published on a memorial site.</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120606120_11712156bdb7dcd6770838694f087b251589bb76217aa0e0bcac45cdefec6aad.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2023120606120_11712156bdb7dcd6770838694f087b251589bb76217aa0e0bcac45cdefec6aad" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="959" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russia NT"> <figcaption>Sandip Thapaliya, who died on 28 June, is said to be buried in the same gravesite as Rupak Karki.</figcaption> </figure>  Among those <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/3-more-nepalis-in-russian-army-killed">killed in action</a> besides Bharat Shah are Pritam Karki of Syangja, Raj Kumar Roka of Dolakha, Sandip Thapaliya, Rupak Karki of Kapilvastu and Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam. A Russian website <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/graves-of-nepali-soldiers-in-russia">published photos of the graves of Thapaliya and Karki</a> who it said were killed in June in Bakhmut. Their names are engraved in Cyrillic script on the tombstones. The Nepal government has tried to control nationals going to Russia, except on business and student visas, and arrested a dozen recruiters said to be involved in supplying soldiers to the Russian Army last week in Kathmandu.&nbsp; However, recruiters and human traffickers are now said to have <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-in-the-russian-army-want-to-quit">moved their operations to the Gulf</a> where they are actively recruiting Nepalis working there as security guards. Some of the Nepalis in the Russian Army are either former Maoist guerrillas or retired from the Nepal Police or Army. Ram Chandra Khadka is from Khara in Rukum, which saw a <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=328">fierce battle between the Maoist militia and the Nepal Army</a> in 2002. Khadka himself rose to be Company Commander with the Maoists, and after the ceasefire served in Afghanistan. Khadka, 36, was recruited by agents in October in Kathmandu and sent directly to the frontlines where he was wounded by a mortar round dropped from a Ukrainian drone in Bakhmut. He is being treated for shrapnel wounds in a Moscow hospital. Several Nepalis have deserted the Russian Army and one of them who somehow found his way back to Kathmandu in November warned fellow Nepalis in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKxLKW80MoU">video interview with Himal Khabar</a> not to fall for the promises of human traffickers. Recruiters promise Nepalis six months of training during which they are paid Rs500,000 a month, that they will fight behind Russian soldiers, and will get Russian citizenship. However, even if they are paid the Nepalis get much less than promised and are sent to the frontlines with less than a week’s training where they are used as human shields to expose Ukrainian firing positions. There have been so many Nepalis trying to desert that one Nepali POW in Ukraine said Russian units have taken away the passports of Nepali recruits and put them under surveillance in the trenches on the frontlines.

6 Nepali KIA and 4 POWs in Ukraine

During the Dasain festival last month, Sarala Thapa went to her parents' home in Kapilvastu district. It would be a celebration without her brother Rupak, who had gone to Russia. But the occasion turned tragic when three people showed up at the doorstep in Banganga Municipality to tell them that Rupak had been killed in action on the Ukraine front, 9,000km away.&nbsp; Since then, the family has been unable to process that Rupak is gone. The 24-year-old had gone to Russia two years ago on a student visa, and like dozens of Nepalis had joined the Russian Army, lured by the promise of a handsome salary and eventual Russian citizenship.&nbsp; “My brother called four months ago to say that we might not hear from him during his six-month training period and that he would call us once training was over,” says Sarala. “It has not been six months yet.” Ward Chair Sanju Saru Magar had received a phone call from Kathmandu about Rupak having been killed during the conflict in Ukraine. The caller asked them to convey the information to Rupak’s family but was unable to say if Rupak’s body could be brought back. Ward council member Rajkumar Tharu was among those who went to Rupak’s house in early November to notify his family of his death. It was their second attempt to deliver the news to the family. Ward member Tharu, who is also neighbours with the Karki family, says that Rupak's father Man Bahadur and mother Laxmi &nbsp;were unable to accept that their child had been killed. Read also:<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/3-more-nepalis-in-russian-army-killed"> 3 more Nepalis in Russian army killed</a>, Nepali Times  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120601124_b55402221065995b1711d8b3df3a8c6d78be93ccb80e5f8718a70d3e638c39b2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2023120601124_b55402221065995b1711d8b3df3a8c6d78be93ccb80e5f8718a70d3e638c39b2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russian Army NT"> <figcaption>Rupak Karki was killed on 30 June after joining the Russian Army to fight on the Ukraine front. A photo appearing to show is grave has been published on a memorial site</figcaption> </figure>  “They were still sure that their son would call them once he had finished training,” says Tharu. “They also found it difficult to believe because we could provide them with no other detail surrounding his death.”&nbsp; Ward president Magar says that the person who called to break the news identified themself as a Russian Embassy official, but upon checking on True Caller, they found the number to have been of a foreign employment company. Meanwhile, the unconfirmed news of Rupak’s death spread like wildfire in the district in Nepal that is the birthplace of the Buddha.&nbsp; "We tried multiple times to reach the number again, but we could not get back in touch,” says Magar. "We had to notify his family with what little information we had.”&nbsp; On Monday, Nepal's Foreign Ministry officially published the names of six Nepalis who had been killed while serving in the Russian Army. Rupak Karki’s name was second on the list.&nbsp; Others who have died include Sandip Thapaliya of Gorkha, Dewan Rai of Pokhara, Pritam Karki of Syangja, Raj Kumar Roka of Dolakha, and Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-in-the-russian-army-want-to-quit">Nepalis in the Russian Army want to quit</a>, Bhadra Sharma Following confirmation from the Foreign Ministry, Lumbini provincial assembly member Bishnu Panthi along with other elected officials as well as the local police reached Rupak Karki's house on Tuesday morning to officially notify his family of his passing.&nbsp; But the government officials were only able to tell the family that Rupak had been killed in action in the Russia-Ukraine war, not when or how he had died, says Rupak’s uncle Gautam Karki. “There is still a lot of shock and confusion here,” says Gautam. “Rupak’s parents are unable to believe that their only son has died without seeing his body.” Rupak’s father Man Bahadur rears chickens, while his mother Laxmi is an office assistant at a local microfinance company. The couple’s older daughter Sarala is married. Rupak himself had been learning Korean to try to find work in South Korea. But he along with his neighbour Yuvaraj Poudel decided to go to Russia in early 2022 after learning that it was easier to acquire a student visa and find work there. The two reached Russia through a Kathmandu-based foreign employment agency in May 2022.&nbsp; A year later, Rupak entered into a Special Military Operations (SMO) agreement with the Russian Ministry of Defense to serve in the Russian Army. Yuvaraj Poudel, who went to Russia with Rupak, was also recruited and is in regular contact with his family.&nbsp; The Russian website Book of Memories of Ivanovo, states that Rupak Karki was killed on 30 June on the Ukraine front while participating in the 'special military operation'. The website includes photographs of a grave with his name in Cyrillic and a photograph in the city of Novo-Talitsy in the Ivanovo Oblast, a Russian administrative region 324 km north-east of Moscow. The website describes its objective as ‘preserving the memory and organising information about Ivanovo warriors and their military comrades’. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepali-captured-in-ukraine">Nepali soldier captured in Ukraine</a>, Nepali Times Another Russian news website Cursiv, citing a book of remembrance from the Ivanovo region, states that Sandip Thapaliya and another person whose nationality has not been disclosed were buried in the same region along with Rupak Karki. Sandip Thapaliya was said to have been killed in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in July, and his body was thought to have been buried near the frontline. According to the memorial, Sandip was killed on 28 June during a ‘combat mission’.&nbsp; Photographs appear to show names and dates of birth on the tombs of Rupak and Sandip, with wreaths placed atop their graves.&nbsp; An unnamed Nepali prisoner of war in Ukrainian military captivity has sent a tearful video to his family asking them to bring him home. In the video he has said there are “other” Nepali prisoners also in Ukraine. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry revealed last month that a Nepali recruit in the Russian Army, Bibek Khatri of Bardia was also a prisoner of war in Ukraine and that the government was using diplomatic channels to bring him back. On Tuesday, Nepal Police took 10 foreign employment recruiters into custody for allegedly sending Nepalis to Russia on visitor visas for recruitment into the Russian military. Reports said the agencies had sent at least 200 Nepalis to Russia promising huge salaries and Russian citizenship. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/recruitment-of-nepalis-into-indian-army-paused">Recruitment of Nepalis into Indian Army paused</a>, Jibraj Chalise and Durga Rana Magar

Graves of Nepali soldiers in Russia

Three more Nepalis who joined the Russian Army have died on the Ukraine front, bringing the total to four. Several others have been wounded, and one deserted the Russian military and returned to Nepal to tell harrowing tales of suffering.
The deaths of the three was contained in a letter sent to Department of Consular Services in Kathmandu by the Nepal Embassy in Moscow on 24 November, and was only revealed on Wednesday.&nbsp;
Pritam Karki of Syangja, Raj Kumar Roka of Dolakha, and Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam were killed in action on 15 November possibly near the town of Avdiivka where a fierce battle has been raging for three months. Another Nepali serving in the Russian Army, Sandip Thapaliya from Gorkha, is also said to have been killed in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in July, and his body buried near the frontline.
Russian authorities confirmed the deaths, sending death certificates of the three Nepalis, said the embassy.&nbsp;
Relatives in Nepal say that there is little to no contact with loved ones in the Russian army, and Nepalis who had joined up described brutal battles during sparse phone calls from the battlefront.&nbsp;
There have been unconfirmed reports of deaths and injuries of other Nepalis since they began to join the Russian military. Officials in Nepal have said that there is little way to determine how many Nepalis left to join the Russian Army.&nbsp;
The Nepali Embassy’s letter to the Department of Consular Services also requested to establish communication with the families of the deceased youth. The families have sent letters to the Foreign Ministry to ask for details about their loved ones.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-in-the-russian-army-want-to-quit">Nepalis in the Russian Army want to quit</a>, Bhadra Sharma
<div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uKxLKW80MoU?si=G1vcrTYV313DGVWl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
The Foreign Ministry has yet to confirm or officially address the deaths of the Nepalis. However, friends and families of those killed in the war were informed by Foreign Ministry officials that the process to identify and repatriate them will be lengthy, after which families have begun to perform the last rites of their loved ones without their bodies.
Hundreds of Nepalis based in Russia for study and employment joined the Russian Army since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Most Nepalis who joined the Russian military and were lured to fight by prospects of earning as much as Rs400,000 a month, and eventual Russian citizenship after Russia relaxed immigration and citizenship procedures to recruit foreigners into their military.
Some young people in Nepal as well as Nepali migrants based in the Gulf have also left for Russia on student and tourist visas, lured by the promise of high pay. Smaller numbers of Nepalis have also been serving in the Ukrainian Army. &nbsp;
Most young Nepali mercenaries have no prior combat prior training or experience. Families of Nepalis in Russia have said that they were sent to the frontlines with only a week’s worth of training, and were only getting one-fourth of the promised salary. Foreign recruits were told they would undergo a three-month training before being sent into combat.&nbsp;
Many of them have realised that the realities of war are much different, and want to return home, one of the returnees said in a video interview earier this year. Families in Nepal have met with officials of the Foreign Ministry multiple times to bring their loved ones back home from the frontlines in Ukraine.&nbsp;
In October, a Nepali mercenary fighting with the Russian Army was captured in the Avdiivka by Ukrainian forces.<a href="https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1714955395037278371"> A video posted on X</a> by Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, shows Bibek Khatri of Bardia stating that he joined the Russian military to make money and make his mother proud. There is no word about his present whereabouts.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepali-captured-in-ukraine">Nepali soldier captured in Ukraine</a>, Nepali Times

3 more Nepalis in Russian army killed

Nepalis desperate to make a better living have historically served in foreign armies, but rarely do they fight on opposing sides as is happening in the Russia-Ukraine war. Nepali soldiers who defected to the British side in 1815 during the Anglo-Nepal War did fight against their own country. The history of recruitment into the British and Indian armies is more than two centuries old, and to this day Nepalis serve in the Indian Army which is often engaged in border skirmishes with two friendly neighbours, Pakistan and China. Given the tradition of Gurkha recruitment, it was perhaps natural that Nepalis would find themselves on both sides of the frontlines in eastern Ukraine. For many of the Nepalis studying and working in Ukraine, the country was a stopover in their quest to get to Western Europe. Russia’s invasion in February 2022 offered a chance to do just that, as the borders with Poland and Slovakia were opened for refugees fleeing the war. But some Nepalis remained, and a handful joined the Ukrainian Army as the country mobilised men between 18-60. Within two weeks of the conflict, a video circulated on social media of a Nepali man claiming to be defending against the Russian invasion because Ukraine had given him food, shelter, and work. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-flee-ukraine-as-russians-advance">Nepalis flee Ukraine as Russians advance</a> Another 63-year-old Nepali father also decided to stay to fight because he did not want to leave his conscripted Ukrainian son behind.&nbsp; Kiev created the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, a military unit of foreign fighters in its reserve forces. Thousands of volunteers from across the world signed up.&nbsp; As the war grinds on with heavy casualties, both armies are short of fighters. In May videos of Nepalis in camouflage fatigues in Russian training camps began to circulate on social media. Other clips of Nepalis in the Russian Army followed, with many in the comment section asking what the salary was like and how they could also enlist.&nbsp; Since then, hundreds of Nepalis based in Russia for study and employment have joined the Russian Army and some have been posted on the Ukraine front. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/trapped-in-ukraine">Trapped in Ukraine</a> Meanwhile, back in Nepal other youngsters are leaving for Russia on student and tourist visas to join the Russian military. Most have no prior combat training.&nbsp; Ramesh, a 30-something health graduate, got married two years ago. Unable to get a job in Nepal, he went to Russia hoping to find better prospects. He learnt Russian and found employment in a factory. But the &nbsp;employers were late with his salary, so he quit and did odd jobs until he discovered he could earn up to Rs400,000 a month by enlisting in the Russian Army. His ancestors had served in the Nepal and Indian armies, but Ramesh had no experience. Still, the salary was too attractive, so he joined up. “My brother has always been too thin, and has broken his right arm twice, and before this had never shown any inclination to be a soldier,” says Ramesh’s sister Sita. <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uKxLKW80MoU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Ramesh’s weak build did not seem to matter, and the Russian Army was desperate for fighting men. On 15 May, he signed the contract to serve in the Russian Army. On 7 July, Sita got a message that he was undergoing training in a forest somewhere.&nbsp; Ramesh’s family have not heard from him since, although they heard rumours he was wounded and in hospital. His friend in Russia has also not been able to contact Ramesh either, and only knows that he was taken to the Ukraine front in Bakhmut.&nbsp; Many other Nepali conscripts are said to be in Bakhmut along with other foreigner mercenaries, and some have been able to speak to their families back home.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/ukraine-crisis-hits-nepal-economy-hard">Ukraine crisis hits Nepal economy hard</a> The relatives say the Nepali soldiers described brutal battles with many dead and injured, and they were warned by Russian commanders not to contact anyone because they were in the ‘Red Zone’. Families of Nepalis in the Russian Army told us they were sent to the frontlines without adequate training, and were only getting one-fourth of the promised salary. Many of them have realised that the realities of war are much different and want to return home. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/ukraines-lessons-for-sandwiched-nations-like-nepal">Ukraine's lessons for sandwiched nations like Nepal</a>, Bhaskar Koirala  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230816030816_e4d3f36681298d158195c2bf8ad88373e48a7b031a10b60ad1e30f69625ee788.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230816030816_e4d3f36681298d158195c2bf8ad88373e48a7b031a10b60ad1e30f69625ee788" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Bakhmut"> <figcaption>The Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after Russian shelling in September 2022. Many Nepalis recruited to the Russian Army this year are said to be on the frontlines in Bakhmut. Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS</figcaption> </figure>  “What we want most is to be able to get in touch with family members over there, and for all Nepalis who joined the Russian military to be brought back safely,” says Ramesh’s sister Sita. “Nepalis must not be allowed to leave to join the Russian army from now.” Some of the Nepalis have been given Russian passports after &nbsp;President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May to make it easier for foreign citizens who have served one year in the military to obtain naturalised Russian citizenship. &nbsp; “Six out of the eight people I lived with in my hostel joined the Russian Army, and I wanted to join too, but could not because I had to undergo surgery on my hand, ” says a student from Sarlahi who recently returned from Russia.&nbsp; “When I hear my friends on the frontlines weeping on the phone as they describe missiles raining down on them I am glad I did not join them,” he says. Even so, there are hundreds of other young men in Nepal who are attracted by the promise of high salaries to go to Russia or Ukraine to be recruited.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/what-does-defending-europe-mean">What does ‘Defending Europe’ mean?</a>, Slavoj Žižek Young Nepalis have been flying to Moscow on student visas, and those previously based in the Gulf have left for Russia on tourist visas. Russia has relaxed visa procedures to allow foreign fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Congo and other countries to join its military. Foreign recruits were told they would undergo a three-month training before being sent into combat, but reports suggest that many of them, including Nepalis, are being taken directly to the frontlines within a month of signing up.&nbsp; “Everyone is terrified, but there is no way to come back because that would be tantamount to desertion,” says a Nepali student in Russia whose husband joined her in Moscow and eventually enlisted in the Russian Army. He had made &nbsp;several unsuccessful attempts in Nepal to join the Indian and British armies.&nbsp; But now, her husband also wants to quit and go home. “The only way to stop this situation from becoming more serious, is for the Nepal government to take action,” she adds.&nbsp; Having been in constant touch with recruits in the Russian army, the Nepali student compiled a list of 18 other Nepalis like her husband. They have contacted the Nepali Embassy in Moscow to facilitate their return.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-s-trial-by-fire-for-soldiers-from-nepal">India’s trial by fire for soldiers from Nepal</a>, Anita Shrestha But embassy staff say the Russian authorities are slow to respond, and have advised the Nepalis to fulfil their contracts and go home after their year is up.&nbsp; In Nepal, worried relatives have come to Kathmandu from across the country to meet Foreign Minister N P Saud and urge him to use diplomatic channels to bring their family members back home.&nbsp; Saud reportedly told them the ministry had approached the Russian government, but that rescuing their family members from the Ukraine front “would be difficult.” The Nepal government originally described videos of Nepalis in the Russian military as ‘fake’, but after pressure from relatives the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement asking Nepalis not to join the militaries of any nation except the ones that Nepal has an agreement with. The statement did not mention Russia. Nepal has agreements with India, UK, Brunei, Singapore, Oman for its nationals to serve their security forces, but &nbsp;Nepalis are also in the Ukrainian, Romanian, and French militaries. Retired Nepali soldiers have also been recruited by other nations to work in active war zones.&nbsp; There are more Nepalis fighting for Russia than Ukraine, but no one has an exact count. The only proof are individual posts on social media, and calls from the frontlines to fellow Nepalis in Russia or to families back home in Nepal. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/recruitment-of-nepalis-into-indian-army-paused">Recruitment of Nepalis into Indian Army paused</a>, Jibraj Chalise and Durga Rana Magar Most Nepalis who are on the trenches of eastern Ukraine are not too bothered about which side in the war is right. It is mostly about earning enough to provide for families back home by whatever means necessary. In 2004, 12 Nepali migrant workers who were promised work in Jordan but tricked into going to Iraq were kidnapped and executed by an Iraqi insurgent group. In June 2016, 14 Nepali security personnel working for the Canadian Embassy were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing attack while their envoy was en route to the embassy in Kabul. &nbsp; These tragedies are still fresh in Nepal’s collective memory, and the possibility of history repeating itself in another war zone has added to the desperation of families who worry about their relatives trapped in the Donbas. Ramesh’s sister Sita says: “People like my brother have made a mistake, but all we ask is for the government to bring them back home safely. ” Despite its policy of neutrality, Nepal has sided with the majority of nations to condemn Russia’s occupation of Ukraine. The question now is: how will the fact that its nationals are fighting in Ukraine affect Nepal's foreign policy position and standing on the global stage. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/in-the-line-of-fire">In the Line of Fire</a>, Editorial Identities have been altered to protect interviewees.

Nepalis in the Russian Army want to quit

The European Union (EU) and South Asian countries have come together to devise strategies to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and extreme weather conditions caused by the climate crisis on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-s-glaring-food-gap">food availability</a>. Disruption on global food supply chains can lead to hunger, malnutrition and obesity in communities around the world. Alternatively, agriculture is energy intensive with a sizeable carbon footprint. Current food production, transport and processing methods are one of the largest contributors to global warming with 21-37% of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to food chains. The EU-South Asia meeting ‘Farm to Fork’ in New Delhi included officials from five South Asian countries including Nepal, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh held dialogue with the EU on soil health and organic production, &nbsp;sustainable use of pesticides and antimicrobials, and food loss and waste. “Promoting the shift towards healthy, sustainable diets has to be done through collaboration. The food system is everyone’s business,” said Atul Upadhyay of the Food Scientists and Technologists Association of Nepal, adding that cross-border cooperation in the region was the way forward to effectively address the problem. Koen Van Dyck of the Bilateral International Relations at the EU Commission agreed: “We have to work together, exchange information and build alliances: the need for global action is clear."  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230409090440_2d3d44f14f2b9db11e283298fda926892cdd72444cbf309086981c6a966291af.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230409090440_2d3d44f14f2b9db11e283298fda926892cdd72444cbf309086981c6a966291af" data-rendition-name="original" width="960" height="640" loading="lazy" alt="food security"> </figure>  <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-sets-ambitious-target-for-food-sufficiency">Nepal made</a> some dramatic strides in reducing childhood and maternal malnutrition in the last two decades. Stunting in particular decreased from 57% in the 1990s to 36% in 2016. But the progress has since stalled. Stunting needs to be well below 15% in 10 years to meet the global target -- it is still 36%. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-pandemic-of-hunger">Covid-19 pandemic</a> and the climate change have added to the problem. While the former has meant reduced income to afford nutritious food, the latter has led to reduced productivity, if not crop failures due to unreliable precipitation patterns. Now, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/ukraine-climate-and-nepal">the Ukraine crisis</a> has increased the cost of commodities , including fuel and food. Given the rise of new infectious diseases and volatile geopolitical tensions, the solution may lie in developing <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/biodynamic-agripreneurs">sustainable food systems</a> which goes beyond the means of production and also addresses nutrition challenges such as undernutrition and hunger, say experts. 'These challenges persist while new and multiple forms of malnutrition rise. In particular, food-borne non-communicable diseases such as cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular conditions put pressure on people and health systems,' reads an EU statement. The food system also needs to take into account land degradation or food loss that ultimately affect how food is produced, processed, transported and consumed. Which is why, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/we-are-what-we-eat">diversifying diets</a> can be a key driver in the change to sustainable food systems, says Jamie Morrison, senior policy advisor at GAIN (Global alliance for Improved Nutrition) Bangladesh. While Bhutanese officials stated the need of transforming subsistence farming to a commercial system where rural income is improved and increased, Sri Lanka on the other hand put an emphasis on organic farming. “The niche market of organic products should be developed not only for export, but also for the domestic market. Organic farming is happening on a small scale and we encourage those who want to do it," said Malathy Parasuraman of the Ministry of Agriculture in Sri Lanka. Parts of Nepal have carried out <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-organic-uncle-of-chitwan">organic farming</a> with a varying degree of success. But most agree that the organic approach is profitable in the longer run, healthier and also sustainable, once it has reversed the damage caused by the rampant use of harmful chemical pesticides. Says Shahidur Rashid of IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute) in India: “We must not leave this to future generations: food systems are a complex concept and a much bigger challenge than the green revolution in the 1950s and 60s.”

Farm to fork

<img width="1808" height="1251" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e8e9c7e80680e0b7926jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>One month after <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/ukraines-lessons-for-sandwiched-nations-like-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russia’s invasion of Ukraine</a>, the fallout of the war on global fuel prices threatens to derail Nepal’s aviation and tourism sector which was finally reviving after two years of the Covid pandemic.
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has raised prices for petrol and diesel at filling stations several times, but it is aviation turbine fuel (ATF) that has seen the steepest hike.
International airlines serving Kathmandu which had already seen some booking cancellations due to the Ukraine war are now paying double the rate for refuelling their planes at Kathmandu airport.
ATF cost in Kathmandu has risen steeply from $715 per kilolitre in June last year to nearly $1,500 after the latest NOC price hike on 17 March (see graph). 
But the NOC appears to be passing on the rising import bill for petroleum products to its customers, while keeping its profit margins intact. The <a href="http://noc.org.np/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://noc.org.np&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1648181914714000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2vxZrc3-FmibmlA9NtNpz7">state-owned monopoly’s own website</a> shows that the profit it makes from <a href="http://noc.org.np/fortnightly" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://noc.org.np/fortnightly&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1648181914714000&amp;usg=AOvVaw30xV_D5k1K3ycFpKU14IgA">ATF sold to airlines has risen</a> from Rs23.92 per litre inJanuary to Rs67.93 this week.
The NOC’s overall fortnightly losses have also soared from Rs1.83 billion to Rs4.66 in that same period. It is clear that NOC is compensating for its losses from petrol, diesel and LPG sales at fuel stations by doubling the price it charges airlines in order to subsidise Nepali customers.
NOC officials have justified the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/petroleum-price-hike-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">price hike</a> saying that the fuel needs to be transported in tankers from the Indian border, and the hike in diesel prices has added to the cost of ATF in the international market.
However, the price of aviation fuel at Indian airports was only $900 per kilolitre — which is $600 less than in Kathmandu. 
Nepal’s domestic airlines, which were <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">seeing a boom</a> since the Omicron wave started to subside earlier this year, have passed on the added cost to passengers with a hefty fuel surcharge. 
However, it is medium and long haul operators to Kathmandu like Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Himalaya Airlines and Nepal Airlines which have been hit hardest. Airlines have started flying in on full tanks only topping up in Kathmandu to save on fuel costs. 
Read also: <a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/ukraine-climate-and-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine, Climate, and Nepal</a>, Sonia Awale
A Boeing 777 or Airbus 330 on a 7-hour flight from Kathmandu to Incheon or Istanbul, for instance, burn 40 tons of fuel at a cost of $75,000. That cost will now soar, but airlines cannot raise prices on pre-booked tickets.
“Because of the rise in passenger demand we were thinking of increasing our frequency to daily flights, but with this kind of fuel cost it is just not feasible,” says one Kathmandu-based international airline executive. “Aviation fuel prices have gone up everywhere, but in Kathmandu it is 50-90% higher than any other Asian airport.”
NOC first raised its price of aviation fuel steeply to $1,095 on 2 March after the Russian invasion sent international oil prices sky high. It then raised it to $1,295 on 4 March, and again hiked it to $1,495 on 17 March. 
Brent crude prices had dropped somewhat last week, but with Russian counter sanctions against oil and gas supplies to European countries and the spectre of a long-drawn war of attrition in Ukraine, it again climbed above the $120 per barrel mark.
Some US states have legislated to temporarily waive taxes on fuel to stabilise gas prices at filling stations and reduce burden on consumers. Nepal also has heavy taxes on all petroleum products, but it cannot afford to reduce the levee at a time when it faces budgetary pressures, a spiralling trade deficit, and plummeting foreign exchange reserves. 
To be sure, Nepal is not alone in being hit by volatile oil prices because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/ukraine-crisis-hits-nepal-economy-hard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the entire economy is affected</a> — not just the aviation sector. However it could not have come at a worse time, just as the country’s tourism was starting to show signs of revival after two years of Covid closure.
Several European tour operators have cancelled bookings to Nepal at the last moment. The crisis has coincided with the start of the peak trekking and mountaineering season, and a large Ukrainian expedition to Mt Everest has been cancelled. The number of climbers who had booked Himalayan peaks is expected to go down by half.
More than 1 million people depend directly on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-reopening-for-tourists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s tourism industry</a> and they have been without income for more than two years because of the pandemic. There was considerable optimism that Spring 2022 would see a revival, but those hopes have been dashed. 
There have been other indirect impacts from rising energy prices in Nepal, with electricity rationing this week along industrial corridors in the Tarai. As the dry season flow of Himalayan rivers reduces generation capacity, demand this week outstripped supply by 600MW. 
The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) was meeting this shortfall with imports from the Indian grid, but on Tuesday and Wednesday it was outbid by other purchasers. Most of India’s electricity is generated from coal and diesel powered plants, and this has nearly doubled the price of peak power imports from India to INR13 per unit on Wednesday.
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/what-does-defending-europe-mean/">What does ‘Defending Europe’ mean?</a>, Slavoj Žižek

russian-invasion-of-ukraine