A group of seven young men from Punjab and Haryana have urgently requested assistance from Indian authorities, claiming they were misled into joining the military in Russia and have now been deployed to participate in the conflict in Ukraine.
Seven Indian citizens published a video message in which they said they were being forced to fight for russia in Ukraine. They came to russia to celebrate the New Year in December 2023 and ended up being forced to serve in the russian army. 😂 pic.twitter.com/ByWLMPFJmt
---Advertisement---— Roman Sheremeta 🇺🇦 (@rshereme) March 6, 2024
In a 105-second video circulating on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the seven men can be observed donning military winter jackets or skull caps. They are situated within a dimly lit and disheveled room, with a sealed window visible at one end. Six of them are gathered in a corner, while the seventh, identified as 19-year-old Harsh from Karnal, Haryana, is recording a video message outlining their situation and appealing for assistance.
The group departed for Russia on December 27 with the intention of celebrating the New Year there. They possessed a visa for their trip to Russia, which was valid for 90 days. However, subsequent to their arrival, they traveled to neighboring 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.
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He later added that now they (Russia) are forcing them to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Harsh’s family informed the news channel that he had also pursued employment opportunities abroad. Reportedly, he was advised that it would be easier to emigrate to a country of his choice if he traveled through Russia.
Harsh’s brother claimed he was given weapons training and deployed to the Donetsk region.
Reports have indicated that as many as 100 Indian nationals were recruited as support staff by the Russian Army. Additionally, numerous reports have surfaced suggesting that dozens of these individuals were compelled to engage in combat on the border with Ukraine.
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