Video Editor: Kriti Saxena & Nitin Bisht
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"All we want is to bring our kids back soon... They've been stuck in the Russian Army for 2 months now," said Suman Kumari, mother of 20-year-old Harsh Kumar, who is amongst the seven Indian tourists who were "duped" into fighting the Russia-Ukraine War.
Suman and her family travelled all the way from Karnal to the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, on 12 April 2024.
Harsh's family, and that of three other tourists, which travelled from parts of Punjab and Haryana, urged the MEA yet again to rescue their kids.
Harsh's brother Sahil Kumar, who met an MEA representative on 12 April, told The Quint, "They are saying that they will rescue them, but haven't shared any timeline with us yet."
Asked an update on the rescue process, Sahil claimed the ministry officials told him, "Your case is in highlight, and we are talking to our Russian counterparts. But we can't go and investigate in Russia as that is not in our jurisdiction."
A Timeline of What Happened
The Quint had earlier reported that this group of seven tourists went to Russia in December 2023 to celebrate the New Year's Eve.
In January 2024, they were allegedly duped by a travel agent in Russia, after which they were "made" to sign a contract with the Russian Army, to do menial jobs.
On March 3 & 4, the group released two video messages, claiming the Russian Army was now "forcing" them to fight the Russia-Ukraine War, and pleading to the Indian government for their rescue.
Another two such videos were also released in March this year.
They told The Quint over WhatsApp that they were "sick and being made to do heavy work" by the army.
As per The Quint's last communication with the stranded tourists on 12 April, they were at an army camp in the war-torn Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the MEA has maintained that they are trying their best to rescue them.
The Quint has been rigorously reporting the case of these seven Indians, like that of several others "duped" into fighting the Russia-Ukraine War in various such job scams. You may read our reports at the 'Trapped in Russia' section of our website. To support our work, become a Member of The Quint now!
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