Sahil Mohammad Hussain, a student from Gujarat, who went to Russia on a student visa, has appealed to Indians not to join the Russian army. In a video message recorded in Ukraine, he claimed that he was coerced into serving in the Russian military after being falsely implicated and blackmailed in a drug case.
Gujarat student appeals to the Indian Govt in SOS video
Hussain, a resident of Gujarat’s Morbi district, appealed to the Indian government to help him return home safely through videos shared by Ukrainian authorities after capturing him. “President Vladimir Putin was in India recently. I would like to request the government to speak to Putin for my safe return home,” he said.
Went to Russia in 2024, forced to join army
Hussian said that he travelled to Russia in 2024 for higher studies and had been working part-time for a courier company. In one of the videos, he said financial and visa issues got him in touch with people allegedly involved in narcotics. He alleged that the Russian army promised to drop the false case against him if he served in the military. Afraid of being sent to prison, Hussain said he trained for about 15 days before being sent to the frontline in Ukraine.
Student surrenders before the Ukrainian armed forces
“The first thing I did when I reached the frontline was surrender to the Ukrainian Army,” the Indian in an olive green jacket said in the video message. Following his surrender, the Ukrainian army contacted his mother in Gujarat and sent her the videos, while asking her to spread awareness about Indians being duped into joining the Russian military. She has filed a petition with a Delhi court for her son’s safe return to India. The next hearing is scheduled in February.
Hussain cautions Indian citizens: “Be careful”
“I feel hopeless. I don’t know what will happen. But I do have a message for young people who are coming to Russia: ‘Be careful’. There are many scamsters here who can falsely implicate you in a drug case,” Hussain cautioned Indians in a video.
On December 5, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the matter was discussed during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Indian government is actively working to bring back citizens who have joined the Russian military.
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