Ukraine protests, United States says ‘aware’ after National Investigation Agency arrests seven nationals for ‘training’ insurgents in Myanmar

Ukraine has lodged a formal protest with the India over the March 13 arrest of six Ukrainian nationals, accused by Indian investigators of entering Myanmar via Mizoram and training ethnic insurgent groups in drone warfare.

The six Ukrainians were arrested at airports in Delhi and Lucknow during an operation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which also detained a United States national, Matthew Aaron VanDyke, at Kolkata airport. A Delhi court remanded all seven to NIA custody until March 27, while the agency said it is searching for eight more Ukrainian suspects. Investigators allege all 15 entered India on tourist visas and were involved in activities linked to insurgent groups operating along the India-Myanmar border.

Those arrested have been identified as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefaniv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor.

According to court filings, the NIA has registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which deals with conspiracy and support for terrorist activities. The agency alleged the accused travelled to Mizoram without required permits and crossed into Myanmar, where they conducted training for ethnic armed groups in drone operations, assembly and jamming technologies.

Allegations of training and arms supply

The NIA told the court that the accused, along with VanDyke, admitted during questioning to training insurgent groups on multiple occasions and facilitating the movement of drone equipment from Europe into Myanmar via India.

VanDyke, originally from Baltimore, describes himself as a former soldier, war correspondent and founder of a private military firm.

Diplomatic response

While Indian authorities said they informed the embassies of both countries, Ukraine’s foreign ministry stated it had not received any official communication regarding the arrests.

Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, met senior Indian official Sibi George and submitted a formal protest, demanding immediate consular access and the release of the detainees. The ministry also raised concerns that restricted areas in India are not always clearly marked, increasing the risk of unintentional violations by foreign nationals.

A US embassy spokesperson said Washington is aware of the case but declined to comment further.

Ongoing probe

Investigators say the ethnic armed groups involved are known to support banned Indian insurgent outfits, posing a threat to national security. The NIA is continuing its probe and has sent the accused’s electronic devices for forensic analysis as it attempts to uncover the broader network.