On Thursday, the remains of five Nepali nationals who died in the Russia-Ukraine war were returned to their families. The remains, transported by the Nepali Embassy in Moscow through Qatar Airways, arrived in Kathmandu via Doha.
At Tribhuvan International Airport, the remains of Dewan Rai from Kaski, Pritam Karki, Hari Prasad Aryal, and Ganesh Shrestha from Syangja, and Anit Kumar Sah from Mahottari were handed over to their families.
Dewan Rai, 26, who died on November 4, 2024, was cremated in Moscow five months later. His family last spoke with him on November 3.
Hari Prasad Aryal, 23, from Syangja, received news of his death in late December. Due to delays, his family held a funeral with an effigy of kush, a sacred grass.
Hari had joined the Nepali army at 18 but resigned after two and a half years. He planned to travel to Oman and South Africa but went to Russia instead. He posted a video on December 4, saying, “This is life, will meet again if I survive, if not, that’s all.” He lost contact with his family after December 5.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Pritam Karki’s death on December 4. Out of 34 Nepali nationals who died in the war, DNA samples from 22 families have been collected. Six Nepalis remain prisoners of war in Ukraine, while 150 have returned home. The government has received 323 applications for rescue and repatriation from Russia.