Kerala man Sandeep Chandran's body, who was killed in a drone strike in Donetsk, Ukraine, will be brought to his home in Amballur, Thrissur, on Sunday (Sep 29). His body will arrive at the Nedumbassery airport and then be transported to his home.
The 36-year-old Sandeep Chandran, who was killed in a drone strike in Donetsk, Ukraine, while serving alongside Russian forces, will be brought back to his home in Amballur, Thrissur, on Sunday (Sep 29). NORKA CEO Ajith Kolassery said that his body will arrive at Nedumbassery Airport on an Emirates flight, where a representative of NORKA will receive it.
Kerala man working in Russian Army killed in Ukrainian shelling
He added that the body will then be transported home in an ambulance arranged by NORKA. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, urging that Sandeep Chandran’s remains be brought back to the country and requesting the return of Malayalis who have fallen victim to job scams in Russia. In this regard, NORKA sought assistance from the Indian Embassy in Russia.
Sandeep's family received a notification in August stating that he was part of a 12-member Russian military patrol team that suffered fatal casualties and that representatives from the Russian Malayali Association had confirmed his identity and that of his fellow soldiers at a hospital. Since the Embassy staff have holidays on Saturday and Sunday, official notifications and pictures will only be available the following day.
Sandeep and seven others from Kerala traveled to Russia via an agency in Chalakudy on April 2, supposedly to work at a restaurant in Moscow. Yet, in a later update, Sandeep informed his family that he was employed in the Russian military facility's canteen, and reassured them of his well-being.
The devastating news surfaced when a WhatsApp message spread through Russian Malayali networks, announcing an attack on a group, including Sandeep, in Rostov, Russia.