New Delhi, Dec. 19 -- Twenty-six Indian nationals were killed while serving in the Russian armed forces and seven have been reported missing, while efforts are on to ensure the early discharge of 50 more, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. The figure for the dead - provided in a written answer by minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in Rajya Sabha - is far higher than the number officially acknowledged by the external affairs ministry in the past. Officials earlier said that 12 Indians were killed while fighting on the frontlines in Russia's conflict with Ukraine. The minister's reply, in response to a question from Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale and Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, came shortly after media reports said the bodies of two Indians killed while serving with the Russian military had arrived in Delhi on Wednesday. The dead men belonged to Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Singh said in his written reply that 202 Indian nationals "are believed to have been recruited into the Russian armed forces". Efforts by the government resulted in the early discharge of 119, while "26 are reported to have lost their lives and seven are reported missing by the Russian side", he said. "Efforts are ongoing for early discharge of 50 individuals. The external affairs ministry has provided assistance in repatriation of mortal remains of 10 deceased Indian nationals to India, and local cremation of two deceased Indian nationals," Singh said. DNA samples of the family members of 18 Indians reported dead or missing have been shared with Russian authorities to help establish their identities....