Youths from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, who returned from Russia after being forced into military service, said that travel agents not only cheated them, but also stole their salaries by accessing their bank OTPs while they were on the battlefield with phone networks. A rare thing.
Lured by the high-paying Russian food packaging industry and lured into working as home guards, the victims were conscripted into the Russian army soon after arriving in the country. Victims said they were lured by travel agents who told them they wanted urgent labor because of the ongoing war in Russia.
“We were told that there is plenty of work in the food packaging industry and we would get a salary of at least Rs 1.95 lakh,” said Shamsher Singh of Ajnala in Amritsar. Karan, who is just 18, said he traveled on a tourist visa. “Agents promised to arrange work visas for us upon arrival in Russia. However, the nightmare began as soon as we landed,” said Karan, also from Amritsar.
Rajat Gupta, another youth from Kurukshetra, Haryana, said that he was among the group of 22 Indian youths from Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Rajasthan, who went to Russia on April 6, 2024 and were duped.
“We worked there for several months and my salary was Rs 2 lakh. I was under the impression that I was collecting cash that would be sent back home to my family. But after reaching a safe place away from the battlefield, I realized that every penny was taken back,” Gupta said. “There were many others from India on the battlefield.
Rakesh Yadav, a youth from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, who returned after eight months from the Russia-Ukraine war, saw a similar painful experience. While on the battlefield, Yadav witnessed the death of one of his comrades in a Ukrainian drone strike. He escaped the attack by diving into a bunker.
In another tragic incident, on June 17, 2024, a grenade explosion killed his colleague, and the Russian authorities informed his family of his death only six months later.
(Left) Rakesh Yadav (seated right) near Kursk and (right) Yadav and his family with Rajya Sabha MP Balvir Sichewal. (Express Photo)
Yadav also informed about his forced recruitment. He and five others were taken to Russia eight months ago by an agent lured by a job as a home guard. However, upon arrival, they were forcibly conscripted into the Russian army and made to sign documents in Russian, a language they could not understand. Repeated refusals led to physical abuse, and after only 15 days of training, they were thrown into active combat.
Yadav spoke passionately about his near-death experiences. He recalled the constant fear of multiple bombings, injuries and death. At one point, the stress was so overwhelming that he considered taking his own life. His hand was injured in a bomb blast during one of the raids, further underscoring the dangerous nature of his situation.
Gupta added that they were first taken to St. Petersburg, where they were presented with documents written in Russian. “The translator working with the agents misled us about the content of the documents. He read what appeared to be a contract for work, but now we know it was something different,” Gupta said, adding that in reality, they had unknowingly signed documents that recruited them into the Russian army. .
Shamsher said that they were sent to deliver weapons and munitions near the border of Ukraine after receiving basic training in weapons management, land mine operation and communication equipment. “For many days we trekked through the forest carrying dangerous goods. “We used to walk for three to four days passing the lifeless corpses of fallen Russian soldiers to deliver supplies to those still fighting,” said Shamsher.
The youths alleged that the agents robbed them of their earnings despite promising them a hefty salary. “We were on the front lines, risking our lives, and they were stealing our hard-earned money. When we signed the contract, they made some app and promised to send our money to our families while we were on the battlefield. All the bank accounts were taken,” Gupta said, adding, “Agents were taking Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. The main agenda was to send them from the youth to Russia which was not a big amount but to steal their salary.
Even though Rajya Sabha member Balbir Sicheval facilitated Yadav’s return, more than 25 Indian conscripts are still forced to fight in Russia.
The families of Mandeep, Kanhaiya Kumar and Deepak from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir and Maharashtra, who are still stuck in Russia, have now approached Seechewal for his intervention. They have said that they have not been able to reach their loved ones and fear the worst. The family came to know that Kanhaiya and Deepak were injured in the grenade blast but could not be contacted after that.
The family has urged Sichewal to escalate the cases to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoping for quick action and the return of the children.