Indian families beg for safe return of men tricked into fighting for Russia: ‘we’re worried sick’
- At least three men were promised well-paying jobs in the Middle East, only to be led to Russia, where their families claim they have been forced to fight in the Ukraine war
- The entrapment of the Indian workers sheds light on how vulnerable individuals are being exploited and sent into conflict zones, advocates and relatives say
Aazad Yousuf Kumar, 31, grew up in poverty in the village of Poshwan in Indian Kashmir, so when he and his wife welcomed a baby boy three months ago, he vowed to break the cycle and provide a brighter future for his family.
Reaching out to Baba Vlogs, a renowned employment agency based in Dubai, Aazad thought he was closer to his dream of providing his loved ones financial security when he received a job offer in the Middle Eastern city.
“The agent charged him 300,000 rupees (US$3,600) to arrange the job. But when Aazad reached Moscow, his phone and passport were taken away,” said his brother, Sajad Yousuf Kumar. “We are worried he will be sent to the front line.”
Aazad is among a group of Indians who have reportedly been tricked into fighting for Russia, after falling for promises of well-paying jobs by deceitful recruiters such as Baba Vlogs.
In one video shared on YouTube by Faisal Khan, who runs Baba Vlogs, he can be seen strolling down a street in St Petersburg, inviting viewers to join the Russian army for a monthly salary of US$3,600. Khan explains the job would include clearing demolished buildings and caring for armouries without need for combat duty.
The entrapment of the Indian workers sheds light on how vulnerable individuals are being exploited and sent into conflict zones, family members and observers say. It also highlights the need for increased awareness and protection measures for Indian citizens who may be at risk of falling prey to similar scams.
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“Indian citizens are turning to the international labour market in increasing numbers due to a lack of employment opportunities in India,” said Apoorvanand, a professor at the University of Delhi and a political commentator.
In May 2019, even before the onset of the pandemic, India’s labour department released figures that showed joblessness in 2017-18 stood at 6.1 per cent – a 45-year high.
Kanhaiya Kumar of the opposition Congress party on Monday told local media that high unemployment rates in India were “driving our jobless youth to war zones, literally”.
While New Delhi has said it is “trying its best” to bring home stranded nationals, relatives of the workers lament there are no policies in place to protect unsuspecting citizens.
Aazad’s family fears for his life, as not only could he be killed in the war, his lack of combat experience had already wounded him.
“We were deceived into becoming soldiers and sent to fight in the war,” Aazad told his brother in a WhatsApp voice message sent on February 10 from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
“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 message heard by This Week in Asia.
Sajad said that was the last time he heard from Aazad.
He added the family had implored the authorities to repatriate his brother as soon as possible. “He is desperately waiting to be rescued.”
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Aazad is believed to be stranded in Mariupol in Ukraine with another Indian citizen and nine others from Nepal and Cuba, his brother said.
The families of the three men have pleaded with the Indian authorities for help, claiming they had been sent to the battlefield under the guise of “training” after being promised jobs with high salaries as “helpers in the military establishment in Russia”.
According to The Hindu newspaper, the matter came to light after the relatives of Hyderabad man Mohammad Asfan, 30, contacted lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi, who raised the issue with Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar and the Indian embassy in Moscow on January 25. He reiterated his request at a media conference on February 21.
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Mohammed Imran, a trader in Hyderabad, told This Week in Asia he had not heard from his younger brother Asfan since December 31, when the latter contacted him from Rostov-on-Don in Russia and said he was stationed on the front line.
Anxiety over the fates of the men has risen since the reported death last week of Hemil Ashvinbhai Mangukiya, a 23-year-old Gujarati man working as an “army security helper” for Russia. He was believed to be killed in a Ukrainian air strike in Donetsk.
According to Indian media reports, these men are around 100 people from India who have been hired by the Russian army as security helpers over the past year, and at least 12 have been misled into enlisting in the military despite lacking any combat experience. Since November, around 20 Indians have also been reportedly stranded in the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Rostov-on-Don.
When This Week in Asia contacted the Russian embassy in Delhi for comment, a spokesperson declined to comment. A representative of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also did not respond to inquiries.
Delhi has acknowledged some Indian nationals have been recruited by Russia for military support roles, such as military helpers and loaders, and stationed in Ukrainian territory now under Russian control. The Indian embassy in Moscow on Thursday said it was seeking to secure the early release of these individuals.
“We are aware that a few Indian nationals have signed up for support jobs with the Russian army. The Indian embassy has regularly taken up this matter with the relevant Russian authorities for their early discharge,” MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.
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For the families of the Indian men, every passing second is filled with increasing desperation.
“We are worried sick, as we don’t know if he is alive or dead,” Imran said of his brother. “He went to Russia to provide for his family and now he is in trouble. He was injured in the gunfire on the front line.
“My brother was in the first group to travel to Russia, and he has been urging us to help him as he feels deceived. I am planning to travel to Russia next week with another family member whose son is also missing,” Imran said. “We are hopeful that we can bring them back home.”
