Were Indians duped by agents to fight for Russia in Ukraine war?

At least three Indians were reportedly forced to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine after allegedly being duped by agents who offered them work as “army security helpers”.

Dozens of Indians are stuck in Russia where they have been sent to the battlefields. The issue has been flagged by All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi who wrote a letter in January to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, seeking their intervention.

But how were Indians ‘duped’ to fight in the Russian-Ukraine war? Let’s take a look.

Indians ‘cheated’ by job agents

A 22-year-old youth from Telangana and three others hailing from Karnataka’s Kalaburagi have sent a desperate plea for rescue from Russia’s border with Ukraine, as per a Times of India (TOI) report.

The Telangana youth dressed in combat uniform said in a video to his family: “Please save us. We are victims of a hi-tech fraud.”

He and several others are reportedly stranded at the war zone in Russia. Moscow has been fighting Ukraine since invading the country in February 2022.

These four Indians working in Dubai were lured by agents who promised them fatter paychecks. After returning from Dubai last November, they boarded a flight from Chennai next month and were sent to Russia on visitor visas, reported TOI.

A source told the newspaper that the youth were promised salaries in the range of Rs 2 lakh for the job as security personnel or helpers by the agents in Dubai. According to the victims’ families, the agents charged Rs 3.5 lakh each from the youths for the promised job in Russia.

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As per TOI, the families of these youth suspect they have been recruited by the Wagner mercenary group, a private military company, fighting on the frontlines alongside the Russian Army in Ukraine war.

UP youth narrates ordeal

Speaking to The Hindu, one of the victims from Uttar Pradesh alleged they were hoodwinked by an agent, who told them that they would not be sent to the war zone.

The victim, who is in his early 20s, said he and two others received basic training in weapons handling from the “Russian Army” and were then dispatched to Rostov-on-Don along the Russia-Ukraine border in January.

“We arrived here in November 2023, 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,” the UP resident told The Hindu.

The name of an agent – Faisal Khan – who runs a YouTube channel titled Baba Vlogs has cropped up. The YouTuber, whose channel has garnered over 300,000 subscribers, posts videos on how to get job offers in different countries and how he helps people obtain work permits, noted NDTV.

As per The Hindu, the UP youth said Khan helped him go to Russia and two Indian agents linked to the YouTuber received him in the foreign country.

“On 13 November, 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 4 January, we were sent to Donetsk to fight,” he alleged.

The UP resident said that he faced bullets several times and was coerced to fight at gunpoint.

Speaking to The Hindu, a Jammu and Kashmir resident stranded in Russia said he mailed and tried to call the Indian Embassy several times but did not get any response.

An agent who received the victims in Russia told The Hindu that these youth come from different parts of India and face threats to their lives if the Indian government does not help.

“They were offered to work as army helpers. The deal was that they would be given basic training for three months following which a psychological assessment and other tests will be done and willingness ascertained if they want to continue as kitchen helpers or any other job. But after a month, their passports were snatched, and they were forced to fight on behalf of Russia. People from other countries are also stuck here,” the agent was quoted as saying by the English daily.

At least 18 Indians are stuck at Mariupol, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Rostov-on-Don along Russia’s border with Ukraine since last November. One person has also been killed in the war, The Hindu reported citing the agent.

Hundreds of youth ‘hired’ by Russian Army

An Indian-origin official working for the Russian Ministry of Defence told The Hindu that around 100 Indians were hired by the Russian Army over the past year.

The official claimed that these recruits were informed about the risks involved with the job of “army security helpers” before they signed the one-year contract.

No money was charged by the Russian Army before the recruitment, he added. “The workers undergo a psychometric test and are explained the risks before they are sent for training. Since they are hired as helpers, it all depends on the command to which they will be sent. It could either be to the battlefield or they may be asked to work as porters. Their consent is taken. A background check is conducted to ensure no spies are recruited,” the official said.

There could be more Indians hired by the Russian Army as this figure is only for the recruitment centre in Moscow, reported The Hindu.

Owaisi seeks MEA’s intervention

On 25 January, Owaisi wrote to EAM Jaishankar and the Indian Embassy in Moscow raising the issue. The Hyderabad MP was approached by one of the victim’s family.

“Unemployed men from Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh were promised jobs by agents in Russia, where they were told that they would work as building security agents but were duped and sent to the battlefield. I met the families of these men in December last year who sought help from me. I’ve written to the External Affairs Minister and India’s Ambassador to Russia to bring them back,” NDTV quoted Owaisi as saying.

.@narendramodi sarkar Russian govt se baat kar ke Russia-Ukraine war front me phanse 12 naujawano'n ko Bharat wapas bulaye - Barrister @asadowaisi#AIMIM #AsaduddinOwaisi #Scam #Indians #RussiaUkraineWar #Russia #India #Bharat pic.twitter.com/per6OgvowK

— AIMIM (@aimim_national) February 21, 2024

He alleged that Faisal Khan, who is in Dubai, along with Sufiyan and Poja from Mumbai deceived the unemployed youths.

Owaisi said that three of the victims want to return to Hyderabad, adding that their families are worried about them as they have had no contact with them for 25 days. He has urged Union minister Jaishankar to bring the “men back home”.

The MEA is yet to comment on the matter.

With inputs from agencies