India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested seven nationals, including six Ukrainians and a US citizen, for allegedly training ethnic insurgent groups in Myanmar on drone warfare.
The six Ukrainians were identified as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefaniv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor, while the US citizen was Mathew Aaron Van Dyke.
According to the NIA, the group entered India on tourist visas and traveled to Mizoram without required documents, before entering Myanmar illegally to collect training for ethnic armed groups (EAGs) that support terror organizations operating in India.
The EAGs were trained on drone operations, assembly, and jamming technology, targeting the Myanmar Junta.
The NIA has registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and has informed the US and Ukraine embassies about the arrests.
Ukraine has lodged a protest with the Indian government, demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens and consular access to them.
The US embassy has confirmed awareness of the situation but declined to comment due to privacy reasons.
