Some Indian nationals are being tricked into fighting for the Russian army after having been promised jobs in Dubai, according to reports.
One victim, Aazad Yousuf Kumar, 31, a science graduate, travelled from his home in northern India to Dubai in the hopes of working for an employment consultancy named Baba Vlogs, which is run by a man named Faisal Khan.
But she said he was then brought to a military base where he was given weapons training.
“We lost touch with him for a while. When he finally phoned after about 20 days, he told us that he had been tricked and taken to an unknown place in Russia, where he had received weapons training for a fortnight, along with a dozen other Indians,” his brother, Sajad Ahmad Kumar, told France’s Le Monde.
South Korea sees surge in Russians seeking asylum as Ukraine war grinds on
South Korea sees surge in Russians seeking asylum as Ukraine war grinds on
“He was deployed near the front line with the Russian army. I spoke to him on December 26. He cried constantly. He told me he wanted to come home,” he added.
Another victim told Indian news outlet The Hindu that at least three Indians had been forced to fight for Russian forces after having been sent there as “army security helpers”.
He said he had also found the job through Faisal Khan and that they had been “categorically told” that they would not be sent to the battlefield.
But after receiving basic weapons training, he said they were sent to Rostov-on-Don and then on to Donetsk, where they then were forced to join the fighting.
The man, who said that he had not received any of the money he had been promised for the job, told the outlet that he had been able to escape the conflict area and had been admitted to a hospital for frostbite.
He added that he was now struggling to get help from the Indian embassy in Moscow, saying he had been “turned away several times”.
A spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs told The Telegraph that the government was working to secure the release of those stuck in Russia.
“We are trying our best and we are in touch, regular touch with Russian authorities both here in New Delhi and also in Moscow and we are trying to do our best,” he said.