The Indian recruits are reportedly being forced to serve on the Russian side. Photo: Special Arrangement
Two Indian nationals have told The Hindu that they are caught in the battlefield in Ukraine, where they are being forced to serve on the Russian side. The two recruits claimed there were at least 13 more Indians with them.
All of them went to Moscow on student or visitor visa in the past six months. They were hired by an agent to work as construction workers but ended up in the war zone, the two men said on telephone from Selydove in Ukraine, where they are currently being lodged in a building. Russia claimed Selydove, a key town in the Donetsk region, in November 2024.
Two indian nationals claim they are stuck in Russian warzone
A response from the External Affairs Ministry is awaited. The Russian Embassy had said in a statement last year that it no longer recruited Indians into its Army. The assurance came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow in July 2024. The External Affairs Ministry has issued several warnings and advisories cautioning Indians from falling prey to such jobs.
Sumit Sharma, 22, a resident of Jammu, said he came to Russia around six months ago and was pursuing a language course at the Moscow State Linguistic University (MSLU).
“To earn extra money, I was looking for odd jobs when a woman contacted me and assured me construction work. I was instead asked to sign some papers and enlisted in the Russian Army. I came to the camp on August 20 and without any training they have brought us to an occupied area in Ukraine and are not letting us leave. We have been cheated, we are stuck here,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu.
He said they had made multiple calls and sent several e-mails to the Indian Embassy in Moscow but no help had reached them.
“There are 15 Indians here. Some were taken to the war zone further ahead and at least four are missing. We are hearing that they have been killed in the war. Please save us,” Mr. Sharma, the son of a farmer in Jammu, said.
Asked why he did not pay heed to advisories issued by the Indian government in the past one year to not fall prey to such jobs, Mr. Sharma said, “I had no idea, the agent promised us good money.”
The other residents of the camp released a video in Punjabi where they are urging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to rescue them.
Gursevak Singh, 26, from Gurdaspur in Punjab, who came to Russia on a students visa, is also among those stuck in the war zone.
“Seven of us have been kept in a building in Ukraine. They are saying they will send me to the forward location tomorrow. A resident of Rajasthan who had come with us and was sent to to a forward post is not reachable for the past four days. He shot a video saying this could be his last and was pleading for help. I do not want to meet the same fate,” Mr. Singh said.
He said his mother lived in Punjab and before coming to Russia, he used to tend to his fields.
On August 10, 2024, the Russian Embassy issued a statement that it no longer admitted Indians into its Army. The embassy added it was working in “close coordination” with Indian authorities to help discharge Indian nationals recruited for the war in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 24, 2022.
The External Affairs Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha on July 24, 2025 there were 127 Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, of which the services of 98 individuals had been discontinued as a result of sustained engagement between the Indian and Russian governments on this matter, including at the highest levels. The Ministry said 13 Indian nationals remained in the Russian armed forces, of which 12 were reported missing by the Russian side.
The Hindu reported first on February 20, 2024 that Indians who travelled to Russia on tourist visas were offered jobs as security helpers but were forced to fight alongside the Russian military on the Russia-Ukraine border.
Published – September 10, 2025 10:49 pm IST
