Russian tip-off leads to NIA arrest of US national Mathew Aaron VanDyke, six Ukrainians

Russian authorities have shared intelligence with Indian counterparts on the activities of six Ukrainian nationals and a US citizen arrested by the National Investigation Agency for allegedly training ethnic armed groups in Myanmar, people familiar with the matter said.

Indian agencies are now trying to identify individuals who may have helped the American, Mathew Aaron VanDyke, and the Ukrainian nationals travel to Mizoram and cross into Myanmar.

The group is suspected to have been making trips to Myanmar since 2024, allegedly supplying drones and jamming equipment and providing training to ethnic armed groups.

Officials said the seven were arrested on March 13 at airports in New Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata after NIA teams tracked them for nearly three months across the northeast.

A Delhi court on Monday remanded the accused — VanDyke and six Ukrainians — to NIA custody till March 27.

Investigators are also examining whether eight other individuals, believed to be part of a larger group of 14 that travelled to Myanmar, are still in the country or have exited via India.

The NIA has said the case is at an early stage and declined to share further details.

According to the agency’s court submission, the accused entered India on tourist visas and travelled to Mizoram without required permits before allegedly crossing illegally into Myanmar to conduct pre-planned training in drone warfare and related technologies for armed groups opposed to the Myanmar junta.

The Ukrainian government has indicated it is ready to cooperate in the probe, while stressing that the legal process must remain “objective and fair,” including ensuring due process and consular access for its nationals.

The NIA has told the court that the accused admitted during questioning to conducting training sessions and facilitating the movement of drone consignments from Europe into Myanmar via India. However, people familiar with the matter said evidence supporting these claims has not yet been publicly disclosed.