NIA Arrests US and Ukrainian Nationals on Russian Intel for Training Armed Groups Near Myanmar Border

Indian security agencies have busted a major international network in the Northeast (along the Mizoram border). Acting on intelligence received from Russian agencies, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested several American and Ukrainian nationals.

The arrested individuals are accused of conspiring to carry out terrorist activities against India. According to intelligence reports, this group was providing training to armed factions in Myanmar. Under the guise of tourist visas, they were imparting training in drone operations and modern warfare techniques to insurgent groups in Myanmar.

These individuals had entered India on tourist visas but subsequently traveled to Mizoram via unauthorized, illegal routes, from where they crossed into the territory of neighboring Myanmar. According to sources, a search is currently underway for eight other Ukrainian nationals. The group consisted of a total of 14 to 15 individuals. They were facilitating the large-scale supply of drones from Europe—equipment that could potentially have fallen into the hands of militant groups linked to India.

**Repeated Training Missions**

The accused individuals had visited the region on multiple occasions to conduct training sessions. On this latest visit, they arrived in Guwahati and subsequently crossed illegally into Myanmar from Mizoram, where they conducted the training. Upon their return to India, the NIA apprehended them on March 13, 2026.

Three Ukrainian nationals were arrested at New Delhi Airport, while three others were apprehended at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. Meanwhile, the American national, Matthew Aaron VanDyke, was arrested at Kolkata Airport. Authorities are now tracking their digital footprints and analyzing their activities over the preceding months.

Delhi's Patiala House Court has remanded the accused to NIA custody until March 27. In the wake of this incident, security alerts have been heightened across the northeastern states, including Manipur, Assam, and Mizoram.

**VanDyke: The Mastermind and Former Aid to Libyan Rebels**

Matthew Aaron VanDyke hails from Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. He is a mercenary, documentary filmmaker, security analyst, and the founder of an organization named 'Sons of Liberty International (SOLI).' Matthew has also worked as a war correspondent and a businessman.

He first came into the spotlight in 2011 during the Libyan Civil War, when he joined the rebel forces fighting against Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Subsequently, he fought against ISIS in Iraq, aided the insurgency in Syria, and, in 2022 during the Russia-Ukraine War, provided training to people in Ukraine.

The agency alleges that VanDyke was involved in suspicious activities linked to Myanmar, which could have posed a threat to India's security.

**Fear of Drone Warfare in the Northeast**

The use of drones has escalated in the Myanmar Civil War. NIA sources believe that these drones could now find their way into the hands of militants in India. This would heighten the risk of drone attacks in the Northeast. Reports regarding the presence of foreign mercenaries or trainers have surfaced in this region previously as well, driven by the ongoing civil war and ethnic conflicts in Myanmar.

The Mizoram-Myanmar border has long been plagued by instability. Here, groups such as the Chin National Army, the Chin National Front, the Arakan Army, and other armed ethnic organizations are fighting against the military junta. Chin State is a part of Myanmar that shares a border with Mizoram. The Arakan Army is active in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

India's concern stems from the fact that many of these factions are linked to militant organizations within India—such as ULFA (I), certain factions of the NSCN, the Kuki National Army, and others. These groups engage in the exchange of weapons, narcotics, and—now—drone technology.