To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in Nepal on the (i) number of Nepalese nationals who are and (ii) steps Nepal is taking to help prevent its nationals fighting as mercenaries for the Russian Federation in Ukraine; and what information his Department holds on whether those mercenaries have received training from the British Army.

The Ministry for Defence engages regularly with the Government of Nepal. The Nepali Government has denounced recruitment and has formally asked Russia to desist its attempts to recruit Nepali citizens to fight.

They have also sought to deter Nepalis travelling to Russia through immigration measures and raising public awareness of the risks, to which HMG is supportive. As the Government of Nepal does not allow citizens to join the Russian military there are no official figures available.

No evidence has been provided by Ukraine or Nepal to suggest that Nepalis trained by the British Army are fighting for Russia.