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    EYE ON INDIA                                                           MARCH 27, 2026      |  The Indian Eye                    7

                   Shadow Warriors: How Western

                    Mercenaries Are Emerging as a

                         New Security Threat to India

                  The arrest of foreign fighters has exposed a dangerous convergence of global conflict
                                           networks and India’s internal security challenges.

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            awareness of the case but refrained
                                                                                                                  from detailed comment.
            New Delhi
                                                                                                                      India’s Ministry of External Af-
                  he recent arrest of an Ameri-                                                                   fairs has struck a careful tone, de-
                  can national and six Ukrainian                                                                  scribing the matter as a legal issue
            Tcitizens by India’s premier an-                                                                      being handled in accordance with
            ti-terror agency has triggered alarm                                                                  domestic laws and international ob-
            bells within the country’s security es-                                                               ligations.  “We  have  received  a  re-
            tablishment, pointing to a troubling                                                                  quest for consular access, and this
            new  dimension  of  threats—foreign                                                                   will be addressed in accordance with
            mercenaries operating in and around                                                                   the  legal  requirements,”  said  MEA
            Indian territory.                                                                                     spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. This
                What initially appeared to be a                                                                   measured response reflects the del-
            case of illegal entry and immigration                                                                 icate balance India must maintain
            violations is now unfolding into a                                                                    between enforcing its security laws
            complex web of alleged arms train-                                                                    and managing sensitive diplomatic
            ing, insurgent links, and cross-border                                                                relationships.
            operations that could reshape how                                                                         From a legal standpoint, the
            India views emerging security risks.                                                                  defence has challenged the arrests,
                At the centre of the case is Mat-                                                                 arguing  that  procedural  safeguards
            thew Aaron Van Dyke, along with                                                                       were not fully observed and that the
            six Ukrainian nationals, who have                                                                     case lacks substantive evidence be-
            been arrested by the National Inves-  Six foreigners, accused of illegally entering Mizoram, then Myanmar, to contact and train   yond disclosure statements. Howev-
            tigation Agency under provisions of                                                                   er, the court has made it clear that an
            the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)   ethnic war groups associated with Indian insurgent groups, being taken away from the Patiala   FIR cannot be treated as an exhaus-
            Act.  A  Delhi  court,  acknowledging   House Court after being produced before the NIA court, in New Delhi (ANI Video Grab)  tive account and that conspiracies of
            the seriousness of the allegations,                                                                   this  nature  often  require  extensive
            granted 11 days of police custody,   national networks—adds a new and   The case also highlights the   investigation, including analysis of
            noting that the case involves issues   potentially destabilising layer to   growing internationalisation of local   digital evidence and identification of
            that go far beyond routine legal vio-  these conflicts.             insurgencies. The alleged involve-  wider networks.
            lations and have “direct bearing on   The  NIA  has  alleged  that  the   ment of Western nationals suggests   Security analysts suggest that
            national security.”               accused were not merely passive   that conflict zones across the world   the case could mark a turning point
                According to investigators, the   participants but active enablers of in-  are increasingly interconnected,   in how India approaches non-tradi-
            accused were part of a broader con-  surgent capabilities. This includes fa-  with  fighters,  resources,  and  ex-  tional threats. Unlike conventional
            spiracy that involved entering re-  cilitating weapons supply, providing   pertise moving across borders with   terrorism, which is often ideological-
            stricted areas in India, particularly   combat training, and even deploying   relative ease. For India, this means   ly driven and locally rooted, merce-
            in the sensitive Northeast, and then   advanced tools such as drones. These   that internal security can no longer   nary activity operates on a different
            crossing over into Myanmar without   elements, if substantiated, indicate   be viewed in isolation from global   logic—one driven by profit, oppor-
            authorisation. Such movements, au-  a shift from traditional insurgency   conflict dynamics.          tunism, and transnational linkages.
            thorities allege, were not incidental   models to more sophisticated, hybrid   Complicating  matters  further  is   This makes it harder to predict and
            but linked to deeper coordination   warfare tactics.                the diplomatic dimension. Ukraine   counter.
            with ethnic armed groups operating    “This is a very serious matter,”   has formally protested the arrest of   The use of technologies such
            across the India-Myanmar border.  said  Losii  Dikho,  reflecting  the   its citizens, with its ambassador in   as drones further complicates the
                The implications of these alle-  concern within regional leadership.   New Delhi seeking their immediate   threat landscape. These tools can
            gations are profound. India’s North-  “The government has to be very   release and consular access. The   enhance surveillance, enable preci-
            east has long been a region marked   proactive…  it  is  one  of  the  most   Ukrainian  government  has  rejected   sion strikes, and disrupt convention-
            by ethnic tensions and insurgent   dangerous situations for our state.”   any suggestion of state involvement,   al security responses. If such capa-
            movements. The introduction of    His remarks underline the fear that   emphasising its own  stance against   bilities are indeed being transferred
            foreign   mercenaries—individuals   external actors could intensify local   terrorism and calling for a “trans-  to insurgent groups, it could signifi-
            with  combat  experience,  access  to   conflicts,  making  them  harder  to   parent  investigation.”  Meanwhile,   cantly alter the balance of power in
            advanced technologies, and trans-  contain and resolve.             the United States has acknowledged   conflict-prone regions.

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