these men left for Russia on December 27 to celebrate the New Year there and they also had a visa for the Russia trip which was valid for 90 days.
New Delhi: Even as the Russia-Ukraine war refuses to die down anytime soon, a group of young men from Punjab and Haryana posted a video on social media saying they were tricked into military service in Russia and have been sent to fight Moscow’s war on Ukraine. In the video, they have urged the Centre for immediate help.
In a 105-second video that has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), these seven men are seen wearing military-style winter jackets with hoods, or skull caps and are standing inside a dingy and dirty room with a closed (and locked) window at one end.
23-year-old man who said he is from #Gurdaspur #Punjab #GagandeepSingh called @ndtv @ndtvindia to appeal to @MEAIndia @states_mea @DrSJaishankar to help them return to India; says 7 of them who met in Russia may be deployed any time, without any training, to fight war in #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/re6eFuyY1v
— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) March 4, 2024
As per a report by NDTV, these men left for Russia on December 27 to celebrate the New Year there and they also had a visa for the Russia trip which was valid for 90 days. However, after Russia, they went to neighbouring Belarus for visit purpose.
Harsh claimed in the video that an agent offered to take them to Belarus and they were not aware of any visa was needed. However, when they went to Belarus (without a visa), the agent asked them for more money and then abandoned them on the way.
He said the local police caught them and handed them over to Russian authorities, who made them sign documents. He said now the Russian army is forcing them to fight in the war against Ukraine.
In the meantime, Harsh’s family told NDTV that the young man had also sought employment abroad, and was reportedly told that it would be easier to emigrate to a country of his choice if he goes via Russia. His mother has urged the Indian government to bring her son safely home.
Harsh’s brother also claimed he was given weapons training and deployed to the Donestsk region. His brother also said that it is difficult to say if he will be alive now or not and made a similar appeal to the government.
Apart from Harsh, another Indian national in the video is believed to be Gurpreet Singh, whose family has also appealed for help.
It should be noted that these seven men in the video are among nearly two dozen who are reportedly stranded in Russia, or are engaged on the frontlines of the war against Ukraine. All of these man say they were tricked into active military service.
The development comes at a time when the External Affairs Ministry said it is in contact with others similarly trapped, among whom is Azad Yousf Kumar, a 31-year-old man from Jammu and Kashmir.
