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India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting a large-scale probe into a cross-border terrorist network, which, according to the investigation, involves citizens of Ukraine and the United States. Six Ukrainians and one American were detained on March 13 during a coordinated operation across several states — Delhi, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. They are accused of participating in the training of militants from ethnic armed groups operating in Myanmar, and the illegal delivery of large consignments of drones from Europe.
The US citizen was detained by the immigration bureau at Kolkata International Airport while attempting to leave the country. Simultaneously, two groups of Ukrainians — three in each — were taken into custody at the airports in Lucknow and Delhi. All detainees were brought to Delhi and appeared in court on March 16, which extended their custody until March 27.
The American’s identity has been established: he is 46-year-old Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, a native of Baltimore, Maryland. The Ukrainians detained in the same case are: Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Maksym Honcharuk, and Viktor Kaminskyi. Almost all of them are originally from the Lviv region. One of the detainees, Marian Stefankiv, is associated with the “Aratta” volunteer unit and is a co-founder of the Lviv public organization “Kolo chesti”.
Marian Stefankiv
According to the investigation, all detainees entered India legally, having obtained tourist visas. A total of 14 Ukrainians arrived in the country at different times and proceeded to Guwahati, the administrative center of Assam state. From there, the group traveled to Mizoram state, which has the status of a special restricted zone. Visiting it requires a special permit for foreigners, which the detainees did not have.
A source in the investigation told The Indian Express: “From there, they crossed the border into Myanmar, where, according to reports, they met with ethnic groups hostile to India.” On the territory of Myanmar, the Ukrainians conducted training for militants of ethnic armed groups. According to the investigation, these groups have stable ties with insurgent organizations banned in India that operate in the northeastern states.
The key element of the charges is not only the training of militants but also the supply of weapons. The investigation revealed that the accused are involved in the illegal import of “huge consignments of drones from Europe.” The NIA materials particularly emphasize that the training covered aspects such as “drone warfare, UAV operations, assembly, and signal jamming technology.”
All seven have been charged under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — “criminal conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.” This is one of the most serious articles in Indian legislation, which provides for punishment up to life imprisonment.
The identity of Matthew Van Dyke has drawn particular attention from the investigation and the press. According to reports, a graduate of the University of Maryland and Georgetown University, he unsuccessfully tried to join the CIA. After that, he worked as a journalist in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was involved in illegal car trafficking. In 2011, he participated in the fighting in Libya against the Gaddafi regime, where he was captured and spent over five months in solitary confinement.
In 2014, Van Dyke founded the private military company Sons of Liberty International, positioning it as a non-profit organization engaged in “free” military training “to counter authoritarian regimes.” The company’s instructors were former military personnel from the US and Europe. The PMC operated in Iraq and also attempted to expand its activities into Myanmar and the Philippines.
In his social media posts, Van Dyke claimed to be conducting covert regime change operations in countries he calls “authoritarian,” including Venezuela, Iran, and Myanmar. His statement from a year ago is telling: “To the leaders of Venezuela, Burma (Myanmar), Iran, and other authoritarian regimes… we are coming for you.”
Matthew Van Dyke
Van Dyke had been in Ukraine since April 2022, where his PMC was engaged in providing two-week basic military training to local residents and territorial defense units. By June 2022, according to him, about 550 people had been trained. Van Dyke himself had stated that he intended to stay in Ukraine until “the Russians” left. It is this experience that explains his connection to the six detained Ukrainian citizens.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent an official note of protest to India demanding the release of the six citizens and consular access to them. They also noted that there are restricted areas for foreigners in India, but their marking is often absent, which leads to unintentional violations.
The Indian side, however, insists on the systematic nature of the violations. According to the NIA’s version, the group acted according to a pre-developed plan: entry on tourist visas, illegal penetration into a closed border zone, illegal border crossing into Myanmar, contacts with ethnic armed groups, and the organization of drone supply channels from Europe.
The case of the seven foreigners clearly demonstrates how people who gained combat experience in the Ukrainian conflict become carriers of instability far beyond its borders. Drone warfare skills honed in one theater of war are now being converted into training militants for groups in Southeast Asia.
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