American ‘mercenary’, 6 Ukrainians in NIA custody; what were they doing in Mizoram?

The arrest is part of a high-profile crackdown by the country's anti-terror body, which detained a total of seven foreign nationals on March 13. The arrests were carried out across three airports — Kolkata, where VanDyke was apprehended, and Lucknow and Delhi, where three Ukrainian nationals were arrested at each location.

The group is accused of using India as a transit point to enter Myanmar illegally. According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the NIA in a Delhi court, the suspects allegedly provided tactical training to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar, as well as several banned insurgent organisations operating within India.

US, Ukraine react

The American and six Ukrainian nationals face charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, UAPA. On Monday, a Delhi court remanded the seven foreign nationals to 11 days of NIA custody.

A NDTV report quoted a US embassy spokesperson, who said, "We are aware of the situation. For privacy reasons, we cannot comment on cases involving US citizens.”

Besides American national Matthew VanDyke, the Ukrainian nationals are Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor.

Also read: Centre to hold high-stakes talks to defuse tension over its border policy in NE

Meanwhile, Ukraine has lodged a protest with India over the "detention" of six Ukrainian nationals on charges of entering Mizoram without authorisation and for alleged unlawful activities. Ukraine's ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk met Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, Sibi George, and sought consular access to the Ukrainian nationals and their immediate release, according to a readout by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on March 17.

FIR details

According to the FIR filed against the seven foreign nationals, they are accused of entering restricted zones in Mizoram without authorisation before illegally crossing the border into Myanmar.

The NIA alleged the group established contact with Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and various insurgent groups banned in India to provide combat training and weapons. The FIR further stated that the accused allegedly trained the armed groups, gave them weapons, and helped in drone operations. The charges indicate activity consistent with mercenary work.

Wider conspiracy

Reports quoting sources in the agency said this international network involving Western nationals was providing tactical support to insurgent groups along the India-Myanmar border.

NDTV report said suggested quoting intelligence sources that this is part of a wider international conspiracy. According to the report, a total of 14 Ukrainian nationals had entered India on tourist visas at various intervals. The group reportedly followed a specific transit corridor, flying into Guwahati, Assam, before proceeding to the border state of Mizoram. Investigations showed that they had entered these restricted border zones without the mandatory legal documentation before crossing into Myanmar.

Also read: Mizoram grapples with cross-border crisis amid new influx of refugees

The group’s primary objective, according to officials familiar with the matter, was to provide tactical training to EAOs that maintain operational ties with banned Indian insurgent groups. Furthermore, the probe has uncovered a sophisticated logistical network used to route a large number of drones from Europe through India into Myanmar for use by these armed factions, added the report.

The arrests follow a series of warnings from Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who informed the state assembly in March 2025 that the region was being used as a "secret transit route" by foreigners heading to Myanmar. Lalduhoma revealed that between June and December 2024, nearly 2,000 foreigners entered Mizoram, with many bypassing tourist activities to enter Myanmar’s Chin Hills for the purpose of providing military training.

"In the present geopolitics, the situation in Myanmar is being closely viewed by global powers including China and the US," Lalduhoma stated. "The essentiality of the Protected Area Permit became clear once we understood the Centre's view on Mizoram being used as a tactical corridor." Mizoram, along with Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, and parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand are defined as protected areas.

Who is VanDyke?

The most prominent figure among the detainees is Matthew VanDyke, an American media personality, whose career spans over a decade of involvement in global conflicts. Frequently described as a mercenary and combat veteran, VanDyke is the founder of Sons of Liberty International (SOLI), a non-profit that provides tactical training to groups fighting authoritarian regimes.

VanDyke first rose to international fame during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, where he fought alongside rebels against Muammar Gaddafi and was held as a prisoner of war. Since then, he has maintained a presence in several high-stakes conflict zones, including Iraq—where he fought against ISIS—and Syria. Most recently, he had been active in Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion, where he reportedly conducted training for civilians and pioneered counter-drone technologies.

Ukraine protest

Earlier, the readout by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry insisted on the "immediate provision of unimpeded consular access to the detainees".

Ambassador of Ukraine Polishchuk met with Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George, during which he handed over an "official note of protest demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens and access to them", it said.

"As of now, there are no established facts proving the involvement of the said Ukrainian citizens in unlawful activities on the territory of India or Myanmar," it said. "We draw attention to the fact that there are certain restricted-access zones in India for foreign nationals, entry to which is possible only with special permits," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said, adding 'at the same time, proper marking of such areas on the ground is often absent, which creates a risk of unintentional violation of the established rules.'