A group of Indian citizens posted a video asking for help, saying they went to Russia for "tourism" but were tricked into joining the army and deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine.
In a video that went viral on social media this week, seven people from the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana said they were tricked by brokers into signing contracts with the Russian military for a trip to Russia and Belarus in late 2023.
The person who recorded the video and read the distress message was Harsh, 19, from Karnal in Haryana state. Harsh and the other members of the group were dressed in winter fatigues and woolen hats, similar to the uniforms of Russian soldiers.
Indian media reported that the group arrived in Russia on December 27, 2023, on a New Year's Eve trip, carrying passports with a 90-day Russian visa. However, the group later decided to travel to Belarus for a tour, following the broker's advice.
"The broker offered to take us to Belarus and we didn't know that we needed new visas. When we arrived in Belarus, he asked for money and left us. The police arrested us and handed us over to the Russian authorities. They made us sign some papers and then forced us to fight in Ukraine," Harsh said in the video.
A group of Indian citizens posted a video asking for help, saying they were being deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine. Screenshot
However, Harsh's family in Haryana state said that the young man had tried to go abroad to find work. Harsh told his family that it would be easier to migrate to a third country in Russia.
"My son left the country on December 23, 2023, to find a job and was arrested in Russia and his passport was confiscated. Harsh told us that the people who arrested him and his friends were Russian soldiers. They threatened that if they did not join the army, Harsh and his friends would be sentenced to 10 years in prison. My son was forced to go to the training ground. I want the government to bring him back to the country safely," Harsh's mother told NDTV .
Harsh's brother said the Russian army had given Harsh a gun and sent him to Donetsk, but he did not know if Harsh's group had reached the battlefield.
Another person seen in the video calling for help has been identified as Gurpreet Singh. His family said he was forced to join the army. "They forced my brother to sign a contract in Russian in Belarus, forcing him to choose between a 10-year prison sentence or joining the army," said Gurpreet's brother, Amrit Singh.
Indian officials have not commented on the case of Gurpreet Singh, Harsh and his group. Indian media and politicians have reported more than 20 cases of Indian citizens seeking help after being stranded in Russia, forced to join the army and deployed to war zones. Most of those seeking help say they were tricked by employment agents.
Those who sign contracts with the Russian military are mostly from poor families and manual laborers. Brokers often offer them jobs as "housekeepers" for the military or security companies in Russia with attractive salaries. The workers are then tricked into signing contracts in Russian, their passports are confiscated, and they realize they have been recruited and sent to a war zone for training.
At least one Indian citizen working in the Russian military has been killed in the fighting in Ukraine.
India's Ministry of External Affairs said in late February that it had intervened with Russian authorities to help some of its citizens get demobilized, but many more cases still needed to be dealt with.
"All cases reported to the Indian embassy in Moscow and the Ministry of External Affairs have been discussed directly with the Russian authorities," the agency said, advising all citizens to be vigilant and stay away from the conflict zone.
Russian officials have so far not commented on the cases of Indian citizens who claim to have been tricked into joining the army and sent to war.
There are also cases of Indian workers going to Russia to work for the military without any trouble.
Shaikh Mohammed Tahir, 24, a resident of Gujarat state, returned to India from Russia in late February. He said he only worked in a car battery factory after arriving in Russia following a broker's instructions and was not asked to go to a training ground or a war zone.
A man who worked near the Ukrainian border also confirmed that the Russian military was transparent with him from the beginning and sent him contracts online in advance. He said that those who were deployed to war zones were probably deceived by brokers who took advantage of their lack of Russian language skills.
Thanh Danh (According to NDTV, AFP )
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