Six Ukrainian nationals and a United States citizen arrested by Indian authorities for allegedly training insurgent groups in Myanmar have been remanded to custody by a Delhi court, even as Kyiv lodged a formal protest with the Indian government over the detentions.
The seven accused were arrested on March 13 in an operation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to officials, six Ukrainians were detained at Delhi Airport and Lucknow Airport, while an American national, Mathew Aaron Van Dyke, was arrested at Kolkata Airport.
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A Delhi court on Monday remanded all seven to NIA custody until March 27 as investigators continue their probe.
Allegations of drone warfare training
According to the NIA, the accused repeatedly travelled to Myanmar through Mizoram after entering India on tourist visas. Investigators told the court the group allegedly trained Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups in drone warfare and related technologies.
In its submission, the agency said the accused entered India on separate dates, flew to Guwahati, and then travelled to Mizoram without obtaining the required Restricted Area Permit (RAP) or Protected Area Permit (PAP) before crossing illegally into Myanmar. The NIA alleged that the individuals trained ethnic armed groups in drone operations, assembly and jamming technology. Investigators claim these groups maintain links with organisations that support banned insurgent groups operating in India.
The case has been registered under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which deals with conspiracy or assistance related to terrorist activities.
Officials identified the arrested Ukrainian nationals as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefaniv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor.
Ukraine protests, US acknowledges case
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said its embassy in India had not received formal notification of the arrests from Indian authorities. Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, met Sibi George, Secretary (West) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and handed over an official protest note seeking the immediate release of the Ukrainian nationals and consular access.
The note also said embassy officials were not allowed to communicate directly with the detainees during the March 16 court hearing, though the accused were provided legal representation.
The Ukrainian side also pointed to the presence of restricted-access areas for foreigners in India, noting that inadequate marking of such zones could lead to unintentional violations.
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A spokesperson for the US Embassy in India said the embassy was aware of the situation involving the American citizen but declined further comment. “We are aware of the situation. For privacy reasons, we cannot comment on cases involving US citizens,” the spokesperson said.
NIA probing wider network
Investigators told the court that Van Dyke and the six Ukrainians admitted during questioning that they had conducted training sessions for the ethnic armed groups on multiple occasions. The agency also alleged that large consignments of drones were imported from Europe and routed through India before reaching insurgent groups in Myanmar.
Officials said the NIA is searching for eight more Ukrainian nationals believed to be connected with the operation. Authorities have sent the seized mobile devices of the accused to CERT-In for forensic analysis as part of the investigation.
