Matthew Van Dyke: US National Freed From Tihar Jail Says India Arrest Was Part of Russia-Ukraine War

November 11, 2026 Faizan Altaf

An American man who spent more than six months in one of India’s most famous prisons has broken his silence — and he claims his arrest had nothing to do with India at all. Matthew Aaron Van Dyke says he and six Ukrainian men were jailed in India because of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and he has promised to reveal what he calls “shocking details” in the coming months.

Van Dyke was arrested in March 2026 by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), the country’s top counter-terrorism body. The agency accused him and the six Ukrainians of crossing into Myanmar to train ethnic armed groups in weapons handling and drone warfare. After months in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, the terror charges were dropped, the group was freed on bail in September, and a court has now allowed them to stay outside India until their next hearing in February 2027.

His claims, posted on social media on Monday night, have reopened a case that touches four countries — India, Ukraine, Russia and Myanmar — and raises difficult questions about secret wars, foreign fighters and the law.

What Van Dyke said on Monday

On the night of Monday, 9 November 2026, Van Dyke posted a series of messages on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“India threw me and several Ukrainians in prison for over six months. This was part of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he wrote.

He did not explain in the posts how, in his view, the arrest was connected to the war. But he said he would share more details — including what he described as shocking details about his arrest and his time in jail — through social media posts and media interviews in the coming months.

Van Dyke also alleged that he was mistreated inside Tihar Jail in Delhi, where he was held. He has not yet published evidence to support that claim, and Indian officials have not publicly responded to his latest statements.

His posts were the first time he had spoken publicly in detail since his release from prison in September.

Who is Matthew Van Dyke, and what was he accused of?

Matthew Aaron Van Dyke is a citizen of the United States. Indian media reports describe him as a mercenary — a soldier who fights for money rather than as part of a national army.

On 13 March 2026, the NIA arrested Van Dyke along with six Ukrainian nationals. The agency said the group had entered India from Myanmar through the border in Mizoram, a state in north-east India that shares a long border with Myanmar.

According to the NIA, the group then travelled to Myanmar, where they allegedly trained ethnic armed groups — rebel forces fighting Myanmar’s military government — in weapons handling and drone warfare. The training, the agency said, covered drone operations, how to assemble drones, and jamming technology, which is used to block or disrupt enemy drones and communications.

The six Ukrainians arrested with him were named in court records as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor.

Van Dyke was detained at Kolkata airport. The six Ukrainians were arrested at airports in Delhi and Lucknow.

The arrest in March

The arrests came at a sensitive time. Myanmar has been in turmoil since its military seized power in a coup in February 2021. Since then, the army has been fighting a patchwork of ethnic armed groups and newer resistance forces across the country. The fighting has pushed tens of thousands of people across the border into India, especially into Mizoram, which shares deep ethnic and family ties with communities across the border in Myanmar’s Chin State.

India’s north-east has long been a place where borders are porous. People, goods and weapons have moved across the India–Myanmar frontier for decades, often through remote hill passes with little official control. That is why the NIA’s claim — that foreign nationals crossed the border to train fighters — drew so much attention.

When the NIA first registered the case, it used some of India’s toughest laws. The case was filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, known as UAPA — India’s main anti-terror law — and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the country’s criminal code.

The agency also told a Delhi court that it had received credible information linking some of the accused to a drone attack on a Myanmar National Airlines passenger aircraft at Myitkyina airport on 20 February 2026. That allegation has not been proven in court, and the NIA’s investigation into it is still open.

From terror charges to immigration offences

The case took a sharp turn in September 2026.

On 8 September, the NIA filed its chargesheet — the formal document setting out the charges — in court. But instead of invoking the terror law, the agency charged the seven men only under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. These sections deal with entering the country without valid documents and related immigration offences, which can be settled through fines.

In other words, the terror charges were dropped. The NIA did not explain publicly why it had stepped back from the UAPA charges, but it told the court that its investigation into possible terror offences remained open.

The change mattered a great deal for the accused. Under the terror law, bail is very hard to get. Under immigration law, the case became far simpler.

On 18 September, a special NIA court in Delhi granted Van Dyke default bail — bail given because the prosecution had failed to file a chargesheet under the terror law within the time the law allows. He was released on a personal bond of Rs 100,000, along with a surety of the same amount.

The six Ukrainians had been discharged from the immigration proceedings on 18 September as well, after the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) settled — or “compounded” — their offences by imposing a fine of Rs 550,000 on each of them. Van Dyke was discharged on 25 September under the same process.

On 24 September, Van Dyke walked out of Tihar Jail, a free man, after more than six months behind bars.

Six months in Tihar Jail

Tihar Jail in Delhi is one of the largest prison complexes in South Asia. It holds thousands of prisoners, including people awaiting trial in high-profile cases. For a foreign national with no family in India, six months inside is a long and isolating experience.

Van Dyke now says he was mistreated there. He has not yet given details, and neither the prison authorities nor the Indian government have commented on his claims.

What is clear is that the case moved slowly. The men were arrested in March, but the chargesheet did not arrive until September — nearly six months later. It was that delay, and the decision to drop the terror charges, that opened the door to bail.

A Delhi court later allowed Van Dyke and the six Ukrainians to travel to their home countries. An order dated 25 September allowed them to travel abroad for one month. Then, at a hearing on 23 October, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi allowed them to remain outside India until their next court appearance, which is scheduled for 24 February 2027. The court also said they could take part in future proceedings by video link, and gave the NIA three more months to continue its investigation.

Van Dyke has said he will return to India for the next hearing.

The Myanmar connection — why drones matter

To understand why this case matters, it helps to understand what is happening in Myanmar.

Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s civil war has become a testing ground for drone warfare. Both the military and the resistance groups fighting it use small, cheap drones — some bought online, some built from parts — to drop bombs, spy on enemy positions and guide attacks. Drones have changed the war because they are cheap, hard to shoot down, and can be flown by fighters with only basic training.

That is why the NIA’s allegation — that foreigners were training ethnic armed groups in drone warfare — was taken so seriously. If true, it would mean outside military expertise was flowing into a war on India’s doorstep.

Myanmar shares a 1,643-kilometre border with India, running through four Indian states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Instability in Myanmar directly affects India. Tens of thousands of refugees from Myanmar have already crossed into Mizoram, and Indian officials worry about weapons, drugs and armed fighters moving across the border.

The NIA’s investigation also looked at alleged links between the accused and armed groups operating in India’s own north-east, a region that has seen decades of insurgency.

Why Van Dyke links his arrest to Russia’s war

Van Dyke’s central claim — that his imprisonment was “part of Russia’s war against Ukraine” — is, for now, just that: a claim. He has not yet explained the connection, and no government has confirmed it.

But there are a few reasons the claim is being taken seriously.

First, all six of his co-accused are Ukrainians. Ukraine has been at war with Russia since February 2022, and thousands of foreign volunteers have travelled to Ukraine to fight alongside its forces. The war has also created a global network of fighters, trainers and arms dealers who move between conflicts — from Ukraine to the Middle East to South-East Asia.

Second, Russia has an interest in Ukraine’s foreign supporters. Moscow has repeatedly accused Western countries of helping Ukraine, and it has tried to pressure countries that host Ukrainian fighters or their allies.

Third, India has tried to stay neutral in the Russia–Ukraine war. It has refused to condemn Russia publicly, while also maintaining close ties with Ukraine and the West. A case involving an American and six Ukrainians, arrested on India’s border with Myanmar, sits awkwardly in the middle of that balancing act.

It is also possible that Van Dyke’s claim is simply his own reading of events — and that the real reason for his arrest was exactly what the NIA said: an illegal border crossing and unauthorised training of armed groups. The NIA has not accused Russia of anything in this case, and it has not said that any foreign government asked it to act.

Until Van Dyke publishes the details he has promised, the truth remains unclear.

What happens next

Several things will decide how this story ends.

Van Dyke’s promised revelations. He says he will share “shocking details” in the coming months. If he names names, publishes documents or gives interviews, the claims will be tested against the evidence. If he does not, his post may fade away as an unproven allegation.

The NIA investigation. The agency has three more months to investigate the possible terror offences. If it finds new evidence, it could bring fresh charges. If it does not, the case may end as a simple immigration matter.

The court hearing on 24 February 2027. Van Dyke and the six Ukrainians are expected to appear — in person or by video link — before the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi. The court will review the state of the investigation and decide the next steps.

The diplomatic angle. India, the United States, Ukraine and Russia are all watching. Any evidence that one country pressured another in this case would have consequences far beyond the seven men involved.

For now, the seven accused are free, and none of them has been convicted of any offence. The case has not been closed, and the allegations against them have not been proven in court.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Matthew Van Dyke?

Matthew Aaron Van Dyke is a citizen of the United States. He was arrested in India in March 2026 along with six Ukrainian nationals. Indian media reports describe him as a mercenary.

Why was he arrested in India?

India’s National Investigation Agency accused him and six Ukrainians of entering India from Myanmar without valid travel documents, and of travelling to Myanmar to train ethnic armed groups in weapons handling and drone warfare. The agency also said it was investigating alleged links to a drone attack on a passenger aircraft in Myanmar in February 2026.

How long was he in jail?

More than six months. He was arrested on 13 March 2026 and released from Delhi’s Tihar Jail on 24 September 2026.

Why was he released?

In September, the NIA dropped the charges under India’s anti-terror law and charged the group only with immigration offences. A Delhi court then granted him default bail, and the immigration offences were settled with a fine of Rs 550,000.

What does he claim now?

Van Dyke claims his arrest and imprisonment were part of Russia’s war against Ukraine. He has promised to reveal “shocking details” in the coming months, and he has alleged that he was mistreated in Tihar Jail. He has not yet published evidence for these claims.

What happens next?

The next court hearing is scheduled for 24 February 2027. Van Dyke has said he will return to India for it. The NIA has three more months to continue its investigation.

Have any of the seven been convicted?

No. None of the seven accused has been convicted, and the case has not been judicially concluded.

Conclusion

Matthew Van Dyke’s story is a reminder that modern wars do not stay inside national borders. A war in Ukraine, a civil war in Myanmar, and an arrest on India’s north-east frontier have become tangled together in a single court case in Delhi.

For now, the facts are these: seven foreign nationals were arrested, spent six months in jail, and were freed when the terror charges were dropped. Everything else — the claim that Russia was behind it, the alleged mistreatment in prison, the promised revelations — is still to be proven.

Whether Van Dyke’s posts turn out to be the start of a major disclosure or simply the frustration of a man who spent half a year in a foreign jail, the case will be watched closely. The next hearing in February 2027, and whatever Van Dyke chooses to publish before then, will decide which it is.

Sources

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

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