Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a court in Delhi that six Ukrainian citizens and U.S. citizen Matthew Aaron VanDyke may have been involved in a drone attack on a civilian aircraft in Myanmar. The investigation also suspects the foreigners of training members of armed groups and illegally moving drones across Indian territory.
This was reported by The Independent.
All seven were detained on 13 March 2026. VanDyke was detained by law enforcement at Kolkata airport, and the six Ukrainians at airports in Delhi and Lucknow.
Since early April the detainees have been held in Tihar jail in Delhi. Indian law enforcement has charged them under anti-terrorism legislation.
According to the NIA’s version, the foreigners may have been assisting ethnic armed groups in Myanmar that are opposing the country’s military authorities. Investigators say this may have involved preparing fighters to work with drones, including assembling them, operating them, and using counter-drone measures.
The Indian agency says some of the detainees arrived in India on tourist visas. After that they reportedly traveled to the state of Mizoram in the country’s northeast, from where investigators suspect they may have illegally crossed the border into Myanmar.
The NIA is also looking into the possibility that Indian territory was used to organize a route to Myanmar and to transport drones and components from Europe.
A drone attack on a civilian aircraft in Myanmar plays a central role in the case. Indian investigators believe the detainees may have been involved in organizing that attack. In addition, the NIA is examining possible ties between the group and other armed organizations and suggests the foreigners may have planned additional terrorist acts on Indian soil.
So far, however, all these claims remain the investigators’ version. The case is under investigation, and the court must determine the defendants’ final responsibility.
An Indian court has authorized investigators to question U.S. citizen Matthew Aaron VanDyke and Ukrainian citizen Viktor Kaminsky in Tihar jail. Law enforcement intends to obtain information from them about other possible persons involved in the case and to examine material found on the detainees’ electronic devices.
VanDyke is an American filmmaker and former servicemember. Indian law enforcement agencies suspect him and the six Ukrainians of activities classified under anti-terrorism laws.
Also read: Vladimir Kolot was detained in Dubai — a relative and partner of the former adviser to the chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, Andriy Hmyrin. This was reported on his Telegram channel by Member of Parliament from European Solidarity Oleksiy Honcharenko.
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