Russian Intelligence Prompts India to Arrest American and Six Ukrainians
New Delhi, Thursday, 19 March 2026.
Following a Russian tip-off, India arrested an American and six Ukrainians for allegedly training armed groups in Myanmar, highlighting deepening geopolitical complexities between Washington, New Delhi, and Moscow.
A Coordinated Crackdown Across Indian Airports
On the night of March 13, 2026, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) executed a series of coordinated arrests across three major international airports in Kolkata, Delhi, and Lucknow [1][2]. The operation resulted in the detention of 46-year-old American national Matthew Aaron VanDyke and six Ukrainian citizens [2][8]. The individuals were apprehended on suspicions of orchestrating a mercenary network that utilized Indian territory to illegally transit into neighboring Myanmar [4]. Following their capture, the accused were brought before Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma at the Patiala House Court in Delhi on March 15, where they were charged under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) [2]. The court granted the NIA an 11-day remand, keeping the group in custody until March 27, 2026 [alert! ‘Pending further court updates post-March 27’][2][3].