AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has requested external affairs minister S Jaishankar to rescue three Indians who were reportedly deceived and forced to fight alongside Russian troops in the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to reports, an agent named Faisal Khan, who runs a YouTube channel called ‘Baba Vlogs’, deceived three Indians by promising them jobs as army security helpers. Upon arrival in Russia, they were allegedly forced to fight against Ukraine.
Sir @DrSJaishankar kindly use your good offices to bring these men back home. Their lives are at risk & their families are justifiably worried. https://t.co/pDmvdeO5HZ
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) February 21, 2024
Indians in the Russian army
One of the three Indians told The Hindu that they went to Russia in November 2023 and signed contracts to work as army security helpers. Although they were told they would not be sent to combat zones, the Russian military forcibly moved them to the frontlines to fight against Ukraine just after giving them basic training. They stated that they escaped 7 to 8 times from bullets.
The individual in question highlighted their struggle with obtaining help from the Indian embassy in Moscow despite repeated attempts. They conveyed their frustration, mentioning: “I lack proper documentation and financial resources.” Furthermore, they disclosed to The Hindu that they have not received any help from the government.
The Russian military reportedly offered them Rs 1.95 lakh with an additional Rs 50,000 as a bonus.
Recruitment of 15,000 Nepalis
The News Mill earlier reported that Russia allegedly recruited as many as 15,000 Nepalis by offering them around $2,000 (approximately Rs 1,60,000) along with a fast-track procedure to obtain Russian passports.
They have also reportedly been moved to the frontlines by the Russian military shortly after basic training, with Russian troops positioned a few kilometres behind them for backup, using Nepalis as cannon fodder.
Why Wagner left the conflict
In the past, even the PMC Wagner chief Prigozhin stated that while they fought Ukrainian troops with backup support from Russian troops and captured many areas, the Russian military stole their achievements by claiming they solely captured those areas without giving credit to PMC Wagner.
Russia recruiting prisoners
Russia is also using their prisoners to fight in Ukraine, offering them a $2,000 salary with the promise of $31,000 if they are injured and $52,000 if they are killed. Initially, Russia offered that if prisoners fought and survived for 6 months, they would be released from prison. However, now Russia is demanding that they must fight until the war ends.
Exposing the Russian trap
After Wagner’s withdrawal from the conflict, Russia commenced recruiting Nepalis and prisoners to deploy them on the frontlines.
Now, the country has even started recruiting personnel from other nations, including India through agents.
What Russia wants is to use prisoners and foreign nationals as cannon fodder to reduce their troop casualties.
Amid reports of Indians fighting in the Ukraine war, including one individual from Telangana state, concerns have arisen regarding the actual number involved.
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Family members of the person from Telangana state approached Hyderabad MP Owaisi, prompting him to urge Jaishankar to take action for their rescue.
“Kindly use your good offices to bring these men back home. Their lives are at risk and their families are justifiably worried,” Owaisi tweeted, tagging Jaishankar.
Given the potential recruitment by agents like Faisal Khan, the total number of Indians who have been trapped remains uncertain.
Given the Nepali government’s inability to prevent thousands of Nepalis from being exploited by Russia, it is imperative for the Indian government to take decisive measures to safeguard its citizens from falling into similar traps.
