Court extends overseas stay of U.S. national and six Ukrainians in arms training case

A Delhi court on Friday (October 23, 2026) allowed a U.S. citizen and six Ukrainian nationals to stay outside India until February 24, 2027 in connection with the Myanmar arms training case. American national Matthew Aaron VanDyke and the six others were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier this year, over the arms training case.

Special Judge Prashant Sharma of the Patiala House Court passed the order after considering applications filed by the seven accused seeking an extension of their overseas stay. The proceedings were held in camera.

VanDyke appeared before the court in person, while the six Ukrainian nationals participated through video conferencing, citing health concerns.

Probe continuing: NIA

The NIA informed the court that its investigation was continuing and that it would apprise the judge of further developments at the next hearing.

VanDyke was arrested by the NIA at Kolkata airport on March 13. The six Ukrainian nationals — Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor — were arrested at airports in Delhi and Lucknow in connection with the case.

According to the agency, the accused entered India on tourist visas and travelled to the Northeastern region without obtaining mandatory permits. Investigators alleged that they subsequently crossed from Mizoram into Myanmar, where they trained ethnic armed organisations.

The NIA initially invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), including those concerning conspiracy. The agency also claimed that the accused made disclosures during questioning about an alleged cross-border network and were involved in assembling equipment linked to an alleged plot targeting a passenger aircraft in Myanmar.

However, the agency did not include the UAPA provisions in its initial chargesheet, proceeding instead under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act. The NIA has indicated that its investigation into the broader allegations remains ongoing and that additional charges could be brought through a supplementary chargesheet.