Indian Families Say Their Men Are Being Tricked into Fighting for Russia in Ukraine

The families of several Indian citizens tricked into fighting for Russia on the front lines in Ukraine have asked the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring their missing sons and husbands home safely.

The Indian opposition slammed Modi for remaining silent on the issue and for creating an economy that would drive so many desperate workers to accept dodgy offers of employment in places such as Russia.

At least 20 Indian citizens have reportedly fallen prey to a scam that offered to fly them to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for lucrative employment. The victims boarded their flights as directed, but found themselves landing in Russia, where they were strong-armed into joining the Russian military to fight in Ukraine.

Raja Begum of India’s Poshwan village told the UK Telegraph on Saturday that her 31-year-old son Azad Yousuf Kumar was recruited for a “housekeeping job” in the UAE by an “independent consultant” named Faisal Khan. Khan runs a YouTube channel called “Baba Vlogs” where he bills himself as a highly successful recruiter for well-compensated jobs in the Middle East.

According to Begum, Khan provided her son with a UAE visa and arranged a flight for him, charging almost $4,000 for his services. Kumar disappeared for months after departing for his “job,” only to resurface in a phone call from a mysterious number, saying he had been tricked and was in desperate need of help.

“He said that he stayed in Sharjah for 16 days and later they were told there were no jobs in the UAE. Instead, he would be taken to Russia to work in the kitchen. He was immediately taken to a secret military base. For two weeks he and others were taught how to use guns and throw grenades,” Begum said. Sharjah is the third-largest city in the UAE.

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Begum and Kumar’s other relatives said he was forced to sign a contract in Russian, even though he does not speak the language, and subjected to “mental and physical torment” along with other Indians tricked into enlisting.

Azad sent his family a voice message on February 10 in which he claimed to be on the border between Russia and Ukraine.

“Conditions are harsh, with the temperature dropping to minus 35 degrees Celsius, and I ended up shooting my foot with a gun I had never touched before,” he said in the WhatsApp message. He has not been heard from since.

“All the families of the Indian citizens are talking to each other. We are worried about our loved ones’ safety. Russian authorities should let all the Indian residents return and rejoin with their families,” said Kumar’s brother Sajad.

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“He traveled to Russia in search of employment with no desire to engage in any conflict. Had he willingly joined the Russian military I wonder why would he reach out for help? He was continuously pleading for help so that his life could be saved,” said Mohammad Amin Sheikh, father of another young man with a story similar to Kumar’s.

“I hope the Government of India takes up the matter with the Russian government as soon as possible, and bring all the Indian citizens back home safely,” Sheikh told the Telegraph.

The Indian Foreign Ministry confirmed it is aware of around 20 men who have been hijacked into military service in Russia and is working toward securing their release.

“We are trying our best and we are in touch, regular touch with Russian authorities both here in New Delhi and also in Moscow and we are trying to do our best,” said foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Monday found a YouTube video by Faisal Khan in which he invites viewers to join the Russian army in support jobs for a $3,600 monthly salary. Kham claims in the video that the jobs would include simple maintenance tasks, like taking care of armories, and would not involve combat duty.

The Hindu interviewed an Indian man who took one of Faisal Khan’s ostensibly non-combat jobs as an “army security helper” and soon found himself on the front lines in Donetsk, Ukraine, after receiving minimal training. The man said he fled the combat zone and is currently receiving treatment for frostbite while pleading with the Indian embassy in Moscow to help him get home.

Opposition politicians on Monday criticized the Modi government for doing little more than mildly suggesting that Indians should not travel abroad for employment.

NDTV found a group of seven young men from India’s Punjab and Haryana who posted a social media video of themselves huddled in a dingy room with a locked window. They said they were tricked into Belarus by a dodgy travel agent and press-ganged into the Russian army.

“An agent offered to take us to Belarus … we were not aware we needed a visa. When we went to Belarus, the agent asked us for more money and then abandoned us. The police caught us and handed us over to Russian authorities, who made us sign documents. Now they are forcing us to fight in the war against Ukraine,” one of the men said.

The family of the young man speaking in the video said he was “caught by Russian soldiers who threatened him with ten years of jail and recruited him.”

“They were forced to join the army there since the documents which they signed in Belarus were in the Russian language. It said they either accept imprisonment for 10 years or join the Russian army,” confirmed the brother of another man seen in the video.

Kanhaiya Kumar of the Indian National Congress (INC) Party slammed Modi for creating a high-unemployment economy that is “driving our jobless youth to war zones, literally.”

At least one of the Indians lured into fighting for Russia, Hemal Ashwinbhai, was reportedly killed in a missile strike last week. His father said Hemal was at least 12 miles inside the Ukrainian border the last time he was able to contact his family.

Several other Indians claim to have suffered combat injuries after being forced to fight in Ukraine. 

“Please get us out of this place. Otherwise, they will send us to the front. There is artillery and drones falling all over. We have zero experience in fighting a war. The agents have put us in this fix,” one of the men who claimed to be injured told the BBC.

The brother of one victim thought it was possible the unwitting Indians have been recruited by Russia’s infamous mercenary Wagner Group, rather than the regular Russian military.