Imphal: An American filmmaker-turned-military trainer and six Ukrainian nationals secured bail from a Delhi prison after the National Investigation Agency dropped anti-terror charges in a case the defense claims involves Russian geopolitical influence.
Matthew VanDyke and his co-accused were released on Monday from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) omitted provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) from its final chargesheet.
The prosecution opted instead to pursue immigration and visa violations. This allowed a Delhi court to grant default bail and permit the defendants to leave India, with VanDyke’s travel clearance extended until late February 2027.
The group had been detained since March over allegations that they used Indian border areas, specifically in Mizoram and Manipur, to smuggle drone warfare technology, assembly equipment and communication jammers during the ethnic violence in the region.
Indian investigators had previously alleged that the men travelled to Myanmar to provide tactical combat training to ethnic insurgent groups, including the Chin National Front and the Kachin Independence Army.
Following his return to the United States, VanDyke alleged that his six-month imprisonment was part of a geopolitical operation involving Russian interests linked to the war in Ukraine.
He also claimed that external interference was involved in the arrests of him and the Ukrainian nationals, and said he would disclose more details about how the operation was carried out.
The detention also led to legal disputes over prison conditions. Defence counsel argued before a Delhi court that VanDyke had suffered severe weight loss and gastrointestinal distress because he could not tolerate standard prison food.
The defence’s attempt to secure permission for private cooking inside the prison was unsuccessful.