A group of men has claimed they were tricked into the Russian military service and have been sent to fight Russia's war on Ukraine, reports said.
Amid growing concerns over Indians being "duped" into the Russian military to fight its war on Ukraine, a Hyderabad man has reportedly been killed on the waterfront in Russia. In another case, a video of seven men from Punjab asking for help from the government, claiming they were "tricked" into military service in Russia, has surfaced on social media.
The video shows the men standing in a dingy room, wearing what seems to be military gear.
The group of men has claimed they were tricked into the Russian military service and have been sent to fight Russia's war on Ukraine, NDTV reported.
In a video circulating on microblogging X, the seven men are seen wearing military-style winter jackets with hoods, or caps. While six of them are in a corner, the seventh - 19-year-old Harsh from Haryana's Karnal - records a video message explaining their situation and asking for help.
The men reportedly left for Russia on December 27 - to celebrate the New Year there. They had a visa for the Russia trip - valid for 90 days - but then travelled to neighbouring Belarus.
"An agent offered to take us to Belarus... we were not aware we needed a visa. When we went to Belarus [without a visa], the agent asked us for more money and then abandoned us. The police caught us and handed us over to Russian authorities, who made us sign documents," Harsh said in the video.
Harsh claimed that now the Russians are forcing them to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Harsh's family said he had 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, the NDTV report mentioned.
"My son went abroad on December 23. He went in search of work and was caught in Russia, where his passport was snatched away. He told us they had been caught by Russian soldiers who threatened him with 10 years of jail and recruited him. He said he was forced to do military training," the report quoted his mother as saying.
Harsh's brother claimed he was given weapons training and deployed to the Donestsk region, adding that it is "difficult to say if he will be alive now or not."
The brother of another man in the video, believed to be Gurpreet Singh, also appealed for help and said they were asked to sign documents in Russian language in Belarus.
"They were forced to join the army there since the documents which they signed in Belarus were in the Russian language. It said they either accept imprisonment for 10 years or join the Russian army," Gurpreet Singh's brother Amrit Singh claimed.
Belarus, reliant on Russia for both political and economic backing, is widely regarded as one of Moscow's most closest allies. Utilising Belarusian territory as a launchpad, the Kremlin orchestrated its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
There are nearly two dozen men from India who are reportedly stranded in Russia, or have been deployed on the frontlines of the war after, as per their claims, they were "tricked" into active military service.
Last month the government said it is aware some Indians were caught up in Russia's war on Ukraine, and said it is working with its counterpart in Moscow to facilitate their release.
"We are aware... the Indian Embassy has taken up their early discharge with the relevant Russian authorities. We urge all Indians to stay away from this conflict," a government spokesperson said.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last month also said that several Indians who worked as support staff to the Russian army were discharged following India's demand after reports surfaced that several Indians have been working for the military in Russia and have even been "forced" to fight along country's borders with Ukraine.
The MEA on February 26 said India remains committed, as a matter of "top priority", to actively pursuing with the Russian authorities all the relevant cases of Indian nationals for an early discharge from the Russian army.