Claims that an 'Indian observer' was present to oversee Russia's dubious referendum in southern and eastern provinces of Ukraine have led to controversy, according to The Hindu.
An official Russian message on Telegram revealed that "representatives from Great Britain, Germany, Syria, Togo, Spain, Colombia, South Africa, Ghana, Serbia, India, Iceland and Latvia worked at polling stations in Donetsk and Makeevka", according to the Indian daily.
India has maintained a state of 'neutrality' on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and had urged both countries to respect each other's territorial integrity.
This would imply that New Delhi does not support Moscow's referendums in occupied Ukraine, which is almost certain to see the regions annexed by Moscow.
The message from Russian authorities has named Purnima Anand as the "Indian observer" and is described as the president of the 'BRICS International Forum'.
In a television broadcast, Anand is seen saying: "We are here today and we can see for ourselves that the people, whole families with smiles on their faces, are coming to exercise their inalienable right to vote for joining Russia."
The Indian government has not authorised any observers for the election.
The so-called referendums in four occupied provinces in southern and eastern Ukraine show voters overwhelmingly agree to join Russia in what has been described as a 'sham' by Kyiv and most of the international community.
The hastily arranged vote was conducted over a period of five days with Russian soldiers reportedly going house to house to ensure residents participated, a move which Ukrainian officials denounced as voting at gunpoint.
The results could pave the way for a formal annexation by Russian forces this week.