Russia claims to be a true friend of India but is not fulfilling the promises made by its own President Vladimir Putin. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia last year, Putin had promised that Indian soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine would be sent back but this did not happen. Another Indian died in the Ukraine war in the past. The soldier has been identified as Binil TB (32). Binil was a resident of Thrissur district of Kerala. Not only this, Binil’s relative Jain TK (27) was also seriously injured in the Ukraine war. It is being told that Binil lost his life in a drone attack carried out by Ukraine.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs also informed that 12 Indians who were fighting the war against Ukraine by joining the Russian army have lost their lives. Apart from this, 16 people are missing.
The Ministry of External Affairs has asked Russia to release the remaining citizens working in the Russian army as soon as possible. The Ministry of External Affairs said that our embassy in Moscow is in touch with their families and all possible assistance is being provided. We are working with the Russian authorities to bring the dead bodies back to India as soon as possible. Those who were injured there were provided relief on the spot. There was also a demand to send them back to India.
The Indian embassy said that they cannot provide any help until the Russian army hands them over. These Indians are being lured with jobs as support staff like electricians, cooks, plumbers in the Russian army and then they are being sent to the war front.
This is not the first time that an Indian citizen has died on the Ukraine-Russia front and has been made a scapegoat by joining the Russian army. According to the Indian Embassy in Moscow, six Indian youths died on the Russian war front during the year 2024-25. The Embassy had also issued an appeal through the Indian Ministry of External Affairs that Indian citizens should refrain from sending applications for jobs in Russia as electricians, plumbers, cooks, drivers, etc. and from coming to Russia if they are selected for the ‘job’.
These reports are absolutely true that the contracting companies offering such jobs make foreign citizens sign misleading contracts and send them to the war front as assistants (coolies) of the Russian army. There, after a week-ten days of training in military camps, these ‘recruits’ are sent to the front lines as soldiers. The same is happening in the Middle East. There too, Indian citizens are working as laborers in the Israeli military.
Despite warnings and instructions from the Ministry of External Affairs to Indian citizens not to migrate to countries with tensions, these warnings have not stopped being ignored by those wishing to go abroad. The Russian government claimed that it had stopped the recruitment of Indians in its armed forces in April 2024. Last year, 85 Indian citizens were also discharged from the Russian army after the intervention of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. But now the new deaths show that dozens of Indians are still involved in the Russian military. Diplomatic officials admit in subdued tones that getting these Indians discharged from military jobs is not an easy task due to legal restrictions attached to contracts. However, the greed of getting Russian or Israeli citizenship is overwhelming for many.
It is true that after the issue of using the services of Indian youth as slaves was raised in the Modi-Putin summit last year, the Russian government had started providing facilities like compensation of Rs 1.30 crore for each death, Russian citizenship to the heirs of the deceased and free education in Russian schools for the children, etc., but sending non-military immigrants from other countries to the war front for its own warfare is morally and socio-economically unacceptable. Not only Russia or Israel, Indian youth are being sent by unscrupulous agents to troubled European countries like Georgia, Armenia, Moldova etc. with the promise that it is easy to settle in Western European countries from there. While the law and order situation in Georgia and Armenia is not conducive for foreign immigrants, the wages are also not much higher than in India. Therefore, these youth feel trapped there.
To stop such deception and exploitation by rogue agents, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs needs to take more effective measures and foreign governments need to adopt a tough stance against scapegoating Indian citizens. It is true that the lack of employment and advancement opportunities in India is continuously fueling the trend of emigration abroad, yet it is necessary to alert visa holders from countries that appear unsafe about the potential dangers.
