India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has detained a US citizen and six Ukrainian nationals, accusing them of providing illegal military training and drone supplies for certain ethnic armed groups in Myanmar that have ties with banned Indian insurgent outfits.
The operation, carried out on the night of March 13, 2026, unfolded simultaneously at three major airports. American national Matthew Aaron VanDyke was intercepted at Kolkata airport, while three Ukrainians each were held at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. All seven were swiftly brought to Delhi and produced before a special NIA court.
The accused face charges under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly conspiring to commit terrorist acts against India.
What are the allegations?
According to investigators, the group entered the country on tourist visas but bypassed mandatory Protected Area Permits to reach Mizoram. From there, they reportedly crossed illegally into Myanmar’s Chin Hills region, where they conducted multiple sessions of training ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in drone assembly, operation, jamming techniques, and weapons handling. European-origin drones and related equipment were allegedly smuggled through the same route to support these activities, which investigators link to anti-India insurgent networks operating in India’s Northeast.
VanDyke, described in his own online profiles as a media personality and founder of a private military firm, has prior involvement in conflicts including the 2011 Libyan civil war, operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and activities in Ukraine since 2022. Indian agencies are examining his digital communications and social media, which reportedly include calls for mercenary recruitment in various regime-change scenarios.
The six Ukrainians, identified as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor, are believed to form part of a larger module, with probes underway to trace up to eight additional Ukrainian nationals who may have used similar transit routes via Guwahati and Mizoram.
A Delhi court initially granted three days of NIA custody, later extending it by 11 days until March 27, 2026, to allow forensic analysis of seized devices and mapping of the suspected network. Officials have highlighted intelligence alerts issued as early as December 2024 regarding unusual foreign movements in the Northeast, including a Union Home Ministry circular restricting permit relaxations in Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland.
The case has triggered diplomatic ripples. The US Embassy in New Delhi confirmed it is ‘aware of the situation’ but declined further comment, citing privacy rules for American citizens. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a formal protest with India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), demanding the ‘immediate release’ of its nationals and full consular access. Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk met MEA officials and submitted a note citing the absence of prior notification and difficulties in communicating with the detainees during court proceedings. Kyiv also pointed to potential risks posed by poorly marked restricted zones in the Northeast.
The MEA has acknowledged the request and stated that legal procedures are being followed as directed by the court. Security experts view the arrests as a wake-up call on the evolving use of commercial drone technology in asymmetric warfare along India’s eastern frontiers.
With the India-Myanmar border remaining a known transit corridor for insurgents, the NIA’s focus has now shifted to dismantling any broader international facilitation network that may have been operating undetected for months. The seven foreign nationals remain in NIA custody as the investigation continues. Authorities have not ruled out additional arrests or extradition-related developments in the coming days.