“My son is trapped, miles and oceans away from me. His absence is giving me sleepless nights,” said Raja Banoo, fighting back tears, as she recounts to The Quint how her son – Azad Yousuf Kumar – ended up being deployed to the frontlines in the Russian war against Ukraine.
Kumar, a resident of the Poshwan village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Awantipora, worked as a tubewell digger. Merely months after he became a father in mid-2023, he applied online for a security helper’s job in Dubai. On 14 December, the 31-year-old left his elderly parents, his wife Maymoona, and his four-month-old baby Mohammad behind in Poshwan to start his new job in Dubai.
However, after 14 days, Kumar, along with at least 12 other Indians, was allegedly sent to the battlefield in Russia, raising alarm about their safety among their families.
'Sent to the Battlefield on the Pretext of a Job'
Kumar, who is a commerce graduate, was lured by agents who promised him a helper’s job, his brother Sajad Ahmad tells The Quint, as neighbours and relatives throng their house.
Sajad Ahmad and other members of Kumar's family.
(Photo: Irfan Amin Malik)
“The job opportunity in Dubai was advertised by a YouTube channel. My brother paid Rs 3 lakh (to the agent), and a few days later, he received his tickets," he says.
Once in Dubai, Kumar was then "deceitfully" sent to Russia on a visitor's visa to fight alongside the Russian military, Ahmad adds.
He claims that he is in contact with his brother through a messaging app.
"Five days ago, I saw my brother dressed in combat uniform on a video call. Since then, he has occasionally been sending me text messages. During the call I heard the sound of firing and shelling, which has made me even more worried about his safety," says Ahmad.
Kumar’s uncle Ali Mohammad says that knowing that his nephew is on the battlefield is "killing the family members from the inside”.
“We were expecting Kumar to work in Dubai as a helper to earn and feed his family, but as we saw him working with the Russian military, the sky had fallen on our heads," he tells The Quint.
According to his brother, in the first 15 days of his military training, Kumar accidentally shot himself in the leg and was injured. "After receiving treatment, he has been redeployed in the Russian military," Ahmad adds.
Ahmad further claims that his emails to the Indian Embassy in Moscow and the Russian Embassy in New Delhi have so far gone unanswered.
Cases Like Kumar Abound
Around 191 km from Kumar’s home is the residence of Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh of Hanjinar village in the Kupwara district – another victim of an online job scam.
Sheikh was employed at a company in Chandigarh. He is now fighting for the military in Russia after he moved there for better job prospects.
The Quint reached out to Sheikh's family, but they were reluctant to speak on the matter.
A senior spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Police said that Sheikh’s family has not yet approached the police for any help. “The police have reached out to the family and offered assistance, but the family has turned down the offer," he tells The Quint.
Meanwhile, Nasir Khuehami, the National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, claimed to have raised the issue with the Indian Embassy in Moscow, who informed him that efforts are underway to facilitate their return to India.
“The families of both men had reached out to us. Accordingly, we wrote a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs, urging swift action to ensure the safe return of the trapped men," Khuehami told The Quint.
"The Indian Embassy in Moscow will also communicate with us in the next 2-3 days about their return and when they will be reunited with their loved ones."Nasir Khuehami, National Convenor, Jammu and Kashmir Students Association
'My Brother Mistakenly Signed...'
Kumar and Sheikh are not the only Indians to be deceitfully recruited by the Wagner Group, a so-called private military company, fighting on the frontlines alongside the Russian Army in Ukraine. There are at least a total of 13 men who have been forcefully sent to Russia.
Mohammed Asfan of Nampally, Hyderabad, was hired by the Russian Army under a fraudulent recruitment scheme with the help of agents and recruiters around the world.
Asfan’s brother Mohammad Imran tells The Quint, "My brother was forced to serve as a mercenary to fight the Russia-Ukraine war."
"The trouble actually started when he was asked to sign some papers which were written in the Russian language. Since Asfan couldn’t understand Russian, he mistakenly signed a military agreement to work with the Russian Army in conflict-ridden Ukraine."
According to media reports, one of the men – a 23-year-old youth named Hamil Mangukiya from Gujarat's Surat – was killed while fighting for the Russian military on 21 February. According to The Hindu, Mangukiya was killed after he was struck by missiles. Also, at least two others have managed to escape.
'I Will Go to Russia to Get My Brother Back'
Imran said that if his brother is not rescued soon, he will himself travel to Russia and get him back. “I have received the visa – and I might fly to Russia next week if my brother does not come home,” he says.
Meanwhile, Mohammad asks why Kumar and other Indian nationals have to fight for another country and lose their precious lives. “Why are our young boys losing lives for another country? Our boys should be brought back as soon as possible, and they can sacrifice their lives only for their own nation.”
The Centre has admitted that some Indians are stuck in Russia amid its ongoing war with Ukraine, adding that the government is coordinating with Russian authorities to facilitate the release of the Indian nationals.
Earlier this week, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaishwal said that each such case brought to the attention of the Indian Embassy in Moscow has been strongly taken up with the Russian authorities.
“All those brought to the attention of the Ministry have been taken up with the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, and therefore, several Indians have already been discharged. We remain committed, as a matter of top priority, to actively pursuing with the Russian authorities all the relevant cases of Indian nationals for an early discharge from the Russian army,” Jaishwal stated.
Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said he had written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, seeking the release and return of the Indian youths. Former J&K Chief Minister and People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, too, appealed to Jaishankar, through a post on X, to intervene in facilitating the return of Azad Yousaf Kumar from Awantipora, "forcibly deployed" into the Russian army to fight against Ukraine.
"The family is extremely distressed & worried about his safety,” she wrote.
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