Indian families of men duped into fighting for Russia hopeful after Putin’s promise

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to PM Narendra Modi’s request to discharge all Indians involved in the Ukraine war

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Raja Banu, 60, shows a picture of her son Aazad. According to his family, Aazad was misled into fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine. Photo: Umer Asif

Published: 3:27pm, 10 Jul 2024Updated: 7:00pm, 10 Jul 2024

Raja Banu was stunned when she received news that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to send home all Indians who were misled into fighting in the Ukraine war, many of whom were promised lucrative job opportunities.

One of the 60-year-old Indian national’s sons, Aazad Yousuf Kumar, 31, was among the Indian men who were offered these opportunities, allegedly by Dubai-based employment agency Baba Vlogs. The men ended up being enlisted into the Russian army to fight in the conflict that erupted in February 2022.

At a private dinner hosted by Putin in Moscow on Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue during his first official visit to Russia since the start of the war. Putin agreed to Modi’s request to discharge all Indians involved in the conflict and facilitate their return.

Four Indian nationals have lost their lives in the war while 10 have returned home so far, according to New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). A viral video uploaded earlier this year showed several men from the states of Punjab and Haryana in army uniforms claiming they were deceived into fighting in Ukraine and pleading for help.

There are no official figures available but it is believed up to 40 Indians are still stuck in Russia – it is unclear how many of them are involved in the conflict.

Addressing a press conference after the end of Modi’s two-day tour, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra confirmed the deal reached between Modi and Putin, saying the “Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian army”.