MEA 'ascertaining veracity' of report on Indian national captured by Ukraine: Report

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is verifying reports that an Indian national has been captured by Ukrainian forces, according to a News18 report_,_ citing a government source on Tuesday.

According to the report, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv is working to ascertain the authenticity of the report.

“As of now, no official communication has been received from the Ukrainian side,” the source said.

The statement comes after a report by The Kyiv Independent claimed that Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanized Brigade had captured an Indian citizen allegedly fighting alongside Russian forces.

The individual has been identified as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, a 22-year-old from Morbi, Gujarat.

According to Ukraine’s brigade, Majoti travelled to Russia to pursue university studies but was later imprisoned on drug-related charges. He was sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison.

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In a video released by the brigade — now widely circulated on social media platform X — Hussein is seen speaking in Russian, claiming he was offered the chance to join the Russian military in exchange for early release from prison.

An 🇮🇳Indian who fought in the Russian Armed Forces was captured by soldiers of the 🇺🇦63rd Mechanised Brigade in the Lyman direction

Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, 22 y.o, from the city of Morbi. He studied at a university in Russia but was arrested for drugs. To avoid going to… pic.twitter.com/TAfQDiYwXu

— Cloooud |🇺🇦 (@GloOouD) October 7, 2025

“I didn’t want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the ‘special military operation’,” Hussein says in the video, referring to Russia’s official terminology for its invasion of Ukraine.

“But I wanted to get out of there," he added.

He said he received 16 days of military training before being deployed on his first combat mission on October 1, where he spent three days on the battlefield.

After a disagreement with his commander, Hussein says he surrendered voluntarily.

“I came across a Ukrainian trench position about 2–3 kilometres away,” he recounts. “I immediately put down my rifle and said that I didn’t want to fight. I needed help.”

Hussein added that he does not wish to return to Russia.

“There is no truth there, nothing. I’d rather go to prison here (in Ukraine),” he said, also claiming he never received the money he was promised for enlisting in the Russian army.

According to multiple reports, at least 12 Indian nationals have died fighting for Russia since the war began in 2022, while 16 others remain missing.

With inputs from agencies