State Minister’s clarification on seven Sri Lankans rescued from Russian captivity

 

The seven Sri Lankans in Ukraine who were allegedly captured and tortured by Russian soldiers in the Kharkiv region are not medical students, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya confirmed. 

He also explained that all Sri Lankans in Ukraine who wished to return to Sri Lanka were expatriated at the outset of the Russian invasion. 

Detailing the victims’ time in Russian captivity, Serhii Bolvinov, head of the Investigative Department of the National Police in the Kharkiv region, said they had been kept in inhuman conditions, and were forced to work as cleaners.