The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the families of Indians who died, were injured or went missing after joining the Russian military during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

A bench also asked the MEA to facilitate DNA matching of family members with the mortal remains of those killed in the conflict and assist them in filing compensation claims with the Russian Embassy in New Delhi. The court further directed that all relevant information be provided to the affected families in their respective vernacular languages.

Regarding the Indians serving in Russian army, the Centre, in May, had informed the apex court that 217 Indians had joined the Russian military, of whom 49 had died, six were missing in action, while the status of 23 others remained unknown.