Govt cautions Indian nationals after 'forced deployment' in Russian army

The government's response comes after reports emerged that Indians were reportedly deceived by agents and being forced to build bunkers in a Russian army camp along the Ukrainian border

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday urged Indian nationals to refrain from accepting any offers to join the Russian army, in response to reports that young men are being forcibly sent to the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Indians trapped in Russia-Ukraine war zone

 

According to a report by The Hindu, a group of fifteen Indian men who travelled to Moscow on study and business visas said they were deceived by a third-party agent and are now being forced to serve in the Russian army. On August 18, they were taken to a Russian Army camp, where they were compelled to build bunkers.

 

The men posted videos on WhatsApp, appealing to the Indian embassy in Moscow and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for help to secure their release. According to two of the men, who spoke to The Hindu from Selydove in Ukraine, they were recruited by an agent to work as construction labourers but were instead deployed to the conflict zone. Russia took control of Selydove, a key town in the Donetsk region, in November 2024.

MEA issues warning

 

“We have seen reports about Indian nationals having been recruited recently into the Russian army. The government has on several occasions over the past year underlined the risks and dangers inherent in this course of action and cautioned Indian citizens accordingly,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He added that the ministry had also taken up the matter with Russian authorities in both Delhi and Moscow, urging them to end this practice.

 

The ministry further advised Indian nationals to “stay away from any offers to join the Russian army as this is a course fraught with danger”.

Ongoing efforts to trace missing Indians

 

Earlier this year, the families of three other missing Indians -- Jagdeep Kumar from Jalandhar, and Ajay Yadav and Azamuddin Khan from Uttar Pradesh -- travelled to Russia in search of their relatives, who have been unaccounted for in the conflict for two years.

 

Following their visit, senior MEA officials said that 18 Indians remained missing and efforts were continuing to trace their whereabouts.

 

Last year, the Russian Embassy had issued a statement denying that it admitted Indians into its armed forces. This assurance followed a discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Modi’s visit to Moscow in July 2024. The external affairs ministry has repeatedly issued warnings and advisories to caution Indian citizens against falling victim to such deceptive offers.

Russia’s largest airstrike targets Kyiv

Russia carried out its largest air assault of the war overnight, setting the main government building in central Kyiv on fire and killing at least four people, including an infant.

 

US President Donald Trump stated that he was prepared to move to a second phase of sanctioning Russia, marking his strongest indication yet of potentially increasing sanctions against Moscow or its oil customers over the war in Ukraine. He did not provide further details.