New Delhi: At least three Indians have been forced to participate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and fight alongside Russian forces after being allegedly deceived by an agent who promised them jobs as “army security helpers”, the Hindu has reported.
This is the first documented instance of Indians being involved on the Russian side in a combat role. A few Indians had volunteered to join the International Legion created to fight Russian forces in Ukraine in 2022.
According to the report, the victims hail from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The family of one of the victims, who hails from Hyderabad, has sought the intervention of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader and MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
On January 25, Owaisi wrote to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, urging the government to take immediate action for the return of these stranded individuals.
The victims, whose identities were withheld by the paper, have shared harrowing accounts of their ordeal.
One victim from Uttar Pradesh, in his early 20s, alleged that they arrived in Russia in November 2023, underwent basic training in handling arms and ammunition under the guise of the “Russian Army,” and were then sent to Rostov-on-Don along the Russia-Ukraine border in January. Despite assurances that they would not be sent to the battlefield, they were forced to fight at gunpoint.
“[We] were made to sign contracts, which said that we are being hired as army security helpers. We were categorically told that we will not be sent to the battlefield and promised Rs 1.95 lakh salary and Rs 50,000 additional bonus per month. Except the Rs 50,000 bonus for two months, I have not received any money,” he said.
He said he came to Russia with the help of an agent – Faisal Khan – who runs a You Tube channel titled “Baba Vlogs”.
“On November 13, we were admitted into a camp and taken to a deserted place around two-and-half hours away from Moscow. We contacted the Indian agents and they assured us that we will be posted as helpers. We lived in tents and were trained to handle weapons. On January 4, we were sent to Donetsk to fight,” he said.
The victim said that he found an opportunity to escape and threw away his weapon. “But I was caught and threatened at gunpoint. They asked me to transport goods from one building to another. The commander told us to walk maintaining a gap of five metres so that we do not become easy targets. In the short walk, we faced bullets 7-8 times, a local accompanying me was killed. On January 22, I managed to flee and got admitted to a hospital with frostbite injuries,” he added.
While he managed to contact his family several days after fleeing the war zone, his pleas for help from the Indian Embassy in Moscow have been ignored. “Repeated pleas to the Indian Embassy in Moscow have gone unheeded. I have been turned away several times. I do not have proper documents and have no money, the government is not helping us,” he said.
An agent involved in the victims’ recruitment highlighted the deceptive practices, emphasising that the original agreement included basic training, psychological assessments, and other tests before determining the nature of their roles. The agent warned of the grave danger the men face if the government does not intervene promptly.
The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the specifics of this case.
Since November 2023, a total of around 18 Indians have been stranded in various locations, including Mariupol, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Rostov-on-Don, along the war-torn border and one person has reportedly lost their life in the ongoing conflict that started on February 24, 2022, the report said.