- Category
- Latest news
Families of Indians Sent to Fight for Russia Under False Promises Demand Government Action
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Families of Indian nationals who were deceived into fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine gathered in New Delhi, calling on authorities to bring their relatives home and hold those responsible for the recruitment scheme accountable.
According to Firstpost on November 4, dozens of families from across India—including Haryana, Telangana, and other regions—assembled at Jantar Mantar Square to demand government intervention. Many said their relatives had been lured with promises of legitimate jobs as security guards or warehouse workers offering high pay and housing.
Instead, the recruits were pressured into signing contracts written in Russian and sent to the front lines with little to no military training. Families say they were later informed that their loved ones had been deployed to active combat zones in Ukraine.
For example, in Hisar, Haryana, Sonu Kumar was one of several Indians who went to Russia on a student visa. His brother, Vikas Kumar, told Firstpost that Sonu had been persuaded by local agents to stay on in Russia after being offered what was described as a stable and well-paid job.
“Sonu was told he would work as a security guard and would not be taken anywhere near the war zone,” Vikas said. “He trusted them because they assured him he would earn well and be safe.”
The family last spoke with Sonu on September 3. “He said he was being sent to the front line and that his phone would soon be confiscated,” Vikas recalled.
Vikas told Firstpost that on September 19, the family received a message via Telegram from Russian authorities stating that Sonu had gone missing on September 6 and that his body had since been located. They were informed that, if they wished, his remains could be transported to Moscow airport for repatriation.
Another young man from Hisar, Haryana — Aman Punia — has been missing for several weeks. His elder brother, Ashu Punia, told Firstpost that Aman, too, had been deceived by recruitment agents who promised him a high-paying job as a security guard in Russia.
“They approached him when his study visa was about to expire and said he would get a job and permanent residency in Russia,” Ashu said. “He didn’t know they were sending him to war.”
Aman last spoke to his family on October 15, warning that he was in serious danger. “He told us, ‘They are sending me to the front. I might die soon,’” Ashu recalled.
According to the family, Aman was coerced into signing a contract written entirely in Russian. When he tried to translate it on his phone, the device was taken from him. His brother said that he “was pressured to sign without understanding what was written.”
After only 15 days of basic training, Aman was reportedly deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.
“He was later injured and abandoned by his commander,” Ashu said. “He somehow crawled back to his bunker after three days but was denied medical help.”
In Hyderabad, Mohammed Ahmed, a 37-year-old bouncer from Khairatabad, faced a fate similar to other Indians deceived into joining Russia’s war. He had been promised work in the construction and warehouse sector, along with the possibility of permanent residency in Russia—but was instead sent to the front lines.
“He has been given a weapon and made to fight near the Ukraine border. Our only request to the government is to bring him back safely,” Ahmed’s relative Firdous Begum told Firstpost.
-e0d2fbd2e85029e4ee202bd757979320.jpg)
Ahmed travelled to Russia on April 25 through an agent based in Mumbai. Once there, he was reportedly forced into the army. His family said he tried to escape by jumping from a military vehicle near the border, fracturing his right leg—but was still made to continue fighting.
“He said he was forced to sign a contract written in Russian. When he tried to translate it on his phone, they snatched it and made him sign,” she said. “He is being beaten and tortured to fight a war he never agreed to.”
Firdous Begum said Ahmed was left without work for nearly a month after arriving in Russia. “Later, he and about 30 others were taken to a remote area and trained in weapons. Six of them are Indians,” she told Firstpost.
“After training, 26 were sent to the frontline. While being taken to the border, he jumped from the vehicle and fractured his leg. He told me that 17 people from his group have died fighting the Ukrainian army. He is now being threatened to fight or be killed,” she added.
According to Firtspost, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it has raised concerns with Moscow over reports of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army and urged an immediate end to the practice.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government has repeatedly warned citizens about the “risks and dangers” of joining the Russian military, noting that such cases have been reported over the past year.
Earlier, it was reported that in the temporarily occupied city of Berdyansk, students of the local medical college are being enlisted into a fake formation known as “Bars-85,” where they are being trained to support Russian occupation forces.
-7f54d6f9a1e9b10de9b3e7ee663a18d9.png)
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-bd9c7d343bfb01ff6d5693bcb8f972a8.jpg "Ukrainian Band DakhaBrakha Joins New Apple TV Series “Pluribus” With “Sonnet” Soundtrack")
