India has detained one US citizen and six Ukrainians accused of entering Mizoram without permits and crossing into Myanmar to train armed groups in drone warfare. The NIA has charged them under anti‑terror laws and alleges they facilitated illegal drone shipments into Myanmar. Ukraine denies state involvement and has urged India to release its nationals; the US has offered limited comment. Analysts say the arrests could strengthen India‑Myanmar security ties and create short‑term diplomatic strain with Kyiv.
India Detains US And Ukrainian Nationals Over Alleged Drone Training For Myanmar Insurgents
People ride motorbikes as they cross the Indo-Myanmar border bridge at the town of Moreh, in the northeastern Indian city of Manipur [File: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters]
Indian authorities have detained one US citizen and six Ukrainian nationals on allegations they entered the northeastern state of Mizoram without required permits and crossed into neighbouring Myanmar to train armed groups in drone warfare. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged the group under India’s anti‑terror legislation and says the suspects were also involved in allegedly importing drones into Myanmar via India.
The arrests took place on 13 March at three separate airports: the US national, Matthew Aaron VanDyke, was reportedly detained by the Bureau of Immigration at Kolkata airport, while three Ukrainians were arrested in Lucknow and three in Delhi. The NIA has said the detainees will remain in custody until at least 27 March. Local police in Kochi, Kerala, separately detained two American tourists for allegedly flying drones near a Coast Guard red zone.
Who Were Arrested?
The seven people charged by the NIA are identified in media and court filings as Matthew Aaron VanDyke (US) and six Ukrainian citizens: Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor. VanDyke is described on his personal website as a veteran of conflicts in Iraq and Libya and the founder of Sons of Liberty International, a Washington, DC‑based consultancy that says it provides security training to vulnerable groups. Public information about the Ukrainian nationals is limited.
Other Related Arrests
In Kochi, police detained two American tourists, Katie Michelle Phelps (32) and Christopher Ross Harvey (35), after they allegedly flew drones near a Coast Guard headquarters. Kochi is home to sensitive naval and coast guard facilities and has been hosting more than 180 crew members from the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan, which received emergency docking permission earlier in March.
Allegations And Evidence
On 16 March the NIA told a New Delhi court that the accused had crossed into Myanmar to provide drone training to armed resistance groups. According to reporting in The Indian Express and the NIA’s submissions, the suspects are accused of facilitating large consignments of drones from Europe to Myanmar via India for use by ethnic armed organisations. The agency also alleges some of these groups have supplied weapons and training to insurgent groups operating inside India.
India requires foreigners to obtain special permits to enter certain northeastern states — including parts of Mizoram and Manipur — because the border with Myanmar is unfenced and considered a security vulnerability. Ethnic insurgencies such as the Kuki National Army (KNA) operate in border areas on both sides, heightening New Delhi’s concerns about cross‑border movement of people, weapons and technology.
Diplomatic Fallout And Reactions
Kiev has strongly denied any state involvement. On 19 March Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry rejected suggestions that the Ukrainian state supports terrorist activity and asked India to release its citizens. Some media and officials have speculated that Russian intelligence may have provided information to Indian authorities; NIA officials told DW that information-sharing by Russian agencies was a possibility. Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised Kyiv and accused it of trying to hide the incident.
The US Embassy in New Delhi said it was aware of the detention of its citizen but declined to comment on the matter for privacy reasons. Analysts say the arrests could strengthen security cooperation between New Delhi and Myanmar’s junta in Naypyidaw in the short term and may create diplomatic friction with Ukraine, though wider India‑US relations are unlikely to be seriously affected.
Context: The arrests follow other cases of foreigners detained for crossing into Myanmar from India, including the 2025 detention of a Belgian photojournalist in Mizoram. The broader concerns centre on the porous India‑Myanmar border (around 1,640 km / 1,020 miles) and the flow of fighters, weapons and technology across it.
The situation remains fluid. Indian courts and investigative agencies will determine whether the evidence supports the NIA’s serious allegations. Meanwhile, diplomatic exchanges between New Delhi, Kyiv and Washington are ongoing behind the scenes.
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