Nearly 100 Indians have been lured to Russia by offers of jobs or education, only to find themselves forced into service by the army, according to Indian government statements and interviews with families of men sent to fight in Ukraine.
As reported by the Washington Post, the recent death of an Indian man working for the Russian army in Ukraine has brought renewed focus to the Kremlin’s use of foreign nationals on the front lines.
One example includes Binil Babu, a 32-year-old electrician from the southern state of Kerala, who became at least the 10th Indian to die in the war this month.
The issue has complicated the relationship between Moscow and New Delhi, drawing a sharp response Indian officials.
“The matter has been strongly taken up with the Russian authorities in Moscow as well as with the Russian Embassy in New Delhi today,” a spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement Tuesday. “We have also reiterated our demand for the early discharge of the remaining Indian nationals.”
Moscow has consistently denied any wrongdoing on its part and promised to release Indians from its armed forces. “The Russian Government has at no point of time been engaged in any public or obscure campaigns, more so in fraudulent schemes to recruit the Indian nationals for military service in Russia,” the Russian Embassy in New Delhi said in statement on 10 August 2024.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in July 2024 he would not comment on this topic “in any way,” and there have been no other official Russian statements about it, though Russian media reported that it was discussed in meetings between the countries’ leaders.
Despite the close coordination between the two governments, Indian recruits like Babu are unable to escape the fighting, reportedly because of the Russian military’s unwillingness to let them go. The allegedly fraudulent recruitment has emerged over the last year as a recurring point of tension between India and Russia, even as the two countries have expanded their economic and military ties.
“It is very painful to see innocent Indians still getting caught up in the conflict there,” said Ashwin Mangukiya, whose 23-year-old son Hemil was the first Indian to be killed in the war last year. “The Indian government has failed to stop this by arresting the agents who take advantage of people’s ignorance to lure them into dangerous jobs.”
Employment agents and social media influencers
Families say most of the unwitting recruits were duped by an international network of employment agents and social media influencers, who promised them high wages for low-skilled jobs such as driving, cooking, plumbing and electrical repairs.
Two Indian men reached by phone in Ukraine last year told The Washington Post that upon arriving in the war zone, they were made to sign Russian documents they could not read and that their passports were confiscated. They said they were later forced to fight alongside Russian soldiers with very little military training.
After several of India’s citizens were killed on the front lines last year, Indian officials took up the issue with their Russian counterparts and secured the release of dozens of men pressed into military service. In a July meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded the early release of those who had been “misled.”
Yet some remain entangled in the conflict. Last month, responding to a question in Parliament, an Indian government official confirmed that 19 Indian citizens were still serving in the Russian army.
In addition to preying on those seeking employment, agents also targeted Indian students “for admission in dubious private universities in Russia,” investigators said in their complaint.
Related:
- Reuters: Tougher US sanctions to curb Russian oil supply to China and India
- Russia, India sign largest oil deal in history, Reuters reports
- Zelenskyy sees key role for India in peace talks with Russia to end war
- India secures release of 85 citizens from Russian Army, 20 still await discharge
- Another Indian national killed in Ukraine serving in Russian army
