Urgen Tamang, a Kalimpong resident enrolled in the Russian army since January this year, has finally been released.

Rabi Pradhan, the chairman of the board of administrators with Kalimpong municipality, pursuing Tamang’s release, confirmed the development on Tuesday.

“Urgen Tamang has been released by the Russian authorities and he is on his way to Moscow today (Tuesday),” Pradhan told The Telegraph.

Pradhan has been in touch with Urgen since March this year.

On September 10, Pradhan had written to the Indian embassy in Moscow, stating Urgen was yet to be released despite signing a document for “termination of contract” on August 8.

The Kalimpong civic chief said Urgen had told them on September 5 that he was moved to a “safe zone” on August 6 from the Russia-Ukraine battlefront and made to sign a document for “termination of contract” on August 8.

“Urgen told me that the Russian officials said that his paper had to be approved by Russia’s defence ministry after which he would be released. It has been more than a month following this development but he is yet to be released and this is why I decided to write to the Indian embassy along with the President and Prime Minister of India,” Pradhan had then said.

Urgen was in the Rostov region of Russia.

Despite signing the termination document, Urgen would be made to dig bunkers for 14 to 15 hours every day, he had said.

Last month, S. Jaishankar, the Union external affairs minister, had stated in Parliament that at least 66 Indians were still enrolled in the Russian army.

“While the exact number of such Indian nationals is not known, information currently available indicates that 13 Indian nationals have left the Russian armed forces while another 66 individuals are seeking early discharge,” Jaishanker
had stated.

He had stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strongly reiterated the urgent need for early release of all Indian nationals from the Russian armed forces during his recent visit to Russia in July 2024.

Urgen, who retired from the Indian army in 2018, had said through a video message on July 15: “Out of the 15 non-Russian fighters, 13 have died so far. I, along with a Sri Lankan, are the only non-Russian fighters in (my) brigade.”

Urgen, who is in his 40s now, was working as a private security guard in Gujarat before leaving for Russia on January 18 this year. He had sent out an SOS to the Indian government on March 20 to rescue him before he was sent to the frontlines to fight Ukraine.

Urgen had said job agents from Siliguri had sent him to Delhi where another agent gave him a ticket and visa to fly to Moscow. He was told he would get a job in Russia, but not that it would be in the Russian army, he had said.