 "Who was Ravi Moun, the fifth Indian to die fighting for Russia in Ukraine war?")
An Indian man lost his life while fighting for the Russian forces against Ukraine in the ongoing war.
The Indian embassy in Moscow confirmed the death of Ravi Moun, who hailed from Haryana, his brother Ajay Moun said.
The 22-year-old’s relatives have said he was forced to fight in the war and are petitioning the government to bring his body back to his village in northern Haryana state.
Here’s all we know about it.
About Ravi Moun
Ravi Moun hailed from Matour village in Haryana’s Kaithal district, according to PTI.
He went to Russia on January 13 after being “hired” for a transportation job but was inducted into the military, his brother Ajay Moun claimed.
Ajay alleged that the Russian Army asked his brother to go to the frontline to fight against Ukrainian forces or face 10 years in jail.
He was trained to dig trenches and later sent to the frontline, according to Ajay.
“We remained in touch with him till March 12 and he was quite upset,” he said.
The family sold off a one-acre plot of land and spent Rs 11.50 lakh to send him to Russia, Ajay said.
“If he (Ravi) knew he would have to fight, he would not have gone… Why would he go where death could be waiting?” his cousin Sonu Mator told Reuters, adding that the family needed the government’s help to bring back the body.
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A letter from the Indian Embassy in Moscow last week informed Moun’s relatives of his death without elaborating on the circumstances under which he died, according to The Indian Express.
The family said the embassy also asked them to send a DNA test report for identification of the body.
According to the Indian embassy’s reply to Ajay Moun’s letter, “The embassy had requested the concerned Russian authorities for confirmation of his death and transportation of his mortal remains requested by you. The Russian side has confirmed his death. However, to identify the body, they need a DNA test from his close relatives.”
Ajay also requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring his brother’s mortal remains back to India.
“We do not have enough money to bring back his body,” he told reporters.
Also read: How 7 men from India have been ‘duped’ into fighting Russia’s war in Ukraine
Similar deaths during the conflict
Several men and their families have contacted the Indian foreign ministry over the last few months, saying they were duped into travelling to Russia with the promise of jobs or education only to be forcibly recruited into its army, Reuters quoted officials at the ministry as saying.
At least four other people have been killed in the violence, they say.
Earlier in March, three Indian citizens, identified as Hemil Ashvinbhai Mangukiya (23), Mohammad Asfan (31), and Tejpal Singh (30), were killed during the conflict.
The two were hired as helpers for the Russian Army but were forced to participate in the ongoing war. Their bodies were brought to Delhi on March 16 and flown to their homes in Surat, Hyderabad and Amritsar, respectively.
The name of the fourth person is yet to be unknown.
Urgen Tamang, 47, a resident of Kalimpong in West Bengal, deployed by the Russian army in the war against Ukraine, said a few weeks ago that 13 of the 15 non-Russians in his group have been killed.
He sent the video to Rabi Pradhan, chairperson of the board of administrators of the Kalimpong Municipality on July 11. He had sent his first video from the war zone in the last week of March, saying that he was forcibly sent to the war zone after a weapon training period of 10–12 days, as per Hindustan Times.
“I have been stuck in the Russia-Ukraine war since March this year. There have been several casualties. There were 15 non-Russians with me. Out of them, 13 have been killed. Only we two are alive — me and another one from Sri Lanka,” Tamang said in the latest video.
Several stuck in the conflict
While there have been reports of 100 Indian workers recruited by the Russian army, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal admitted in June that there were around 20 people who had sought help to return.
“We are pressing very hard with the Russian authorities for early discharge of our people who are stuck there,” he had said.
One such person stuck in Moscow is Harsh Kumar, who had travelled to Russia in December 2023 and was arrested and handed over to the Russian army. He had plans to enter Belarus, however, his agent left him on the highway.
“Despite the Prime Minister’s intervention, the Russian Army has not informed them (Indian youths) that they will be discharged. We are worried as the Russian authorities are reluctant to send them back home,” Harsh’s father, Suresh Kumar, told India Today.
Also read: Were Indians duped by agents to fight for Russia in Ukraine war?
Lured by job agents
Ravi, like many others from the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and West Bengal, is the victim of the network that lures young men for lucrative jobs or university places in Russia.
Many Indian nationals who left India between December 2023 and February 2024 have been recruited in the Russian Army.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), about 35 Indian men were lured to fight alongside the Russian army in the war, as per Reuters.
The officials have arrested at least four people associated with the racket. The accused were a translator, a person facilitating visa processing and the booking of airline tickets as well as two “main recruiters” for Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the CBI had said in March.
The CBI had conducted searches at around 13 locations, including Delhi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai, and Chennai.
According to a previous report, sources told The Times of India, the youth, who were lured, were promised salaries in the range of Rs 2 lakh for the job as security personnel or helpers by the agents in Dubai. The victims’ families said the agents charged Rs 3.5 lakh each from the youths for the promised job in Russia.
At the time, Faisal Khan’s YouTube channel titled Baba Vlogs’ name had also cropped up. The YouTuber, who enjoyed lakhs of subscribers, posted videos on getting job offers in different countries and helping people obtain work permits, as per NDTV.
Citizens of other countries also duped
Sri Lanka and Nepal have also said that some of their citizens have been illegally recruited, as per Reuters.
In May, Sri Lankan Defence Ministry had warned that “a significant number” of its retired war veterans were lured to the Russia-Ukraine war front with the promise of a “handsome salary,” citizenship, and other benefits for serving in the army, none of which were granted.
A retired major and an employment agent had been arrested in the case.
Nepal, which had already paused issuing work permits for Russia and Ukraine in January, said several young, unemployed Nepalis had been illegally recruited into the Russian army by agents who charged them hefty sums for visas.
At least 200 Nepalis were estimated to be serving in the Russian army and about 100 were missing, officials had said in May.
India’s demand
Notably, the Moun family’s claim comes days after Russia agreed to India’s demand to ensure the early release and return of Indian nationals inducted into the country’s military.
Russia agreed to the demand earlier this month and promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the army.
Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs said the issue of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army remained a matter of “utmost concern” and demanded action from Moscow.
The PM Modi-led country has refused to condemn Russia’s war with Ukraine and instead called for peace through dialogue and diplomacy. The two countries have enjoyed a close relationship for decades, trading in items, from fighter jets to tea.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict in Ukraine has been raging since February 2022.
With inputs from agencies
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