A video of some men dressed in what appeared to be military uniform is being shared on the internet with a claim that the Indian government had "sold" Punjabi youth to the Russian government.
What did the post say?: It was shared with a caption saying, "India’s government and military deceived innocent Punjabi youth with job offers in Russia, only to sell them into the Russian Army and send them to the frontlines against Ukraine. A shameless betrayal by the Indian state and its forces."
What are the facts?: The claim is misleading as there is no evidence to support it. The men in the video were actually lured with promises of jobs in Russia but were later trapped in military camps
How did we find that out?: On conducting a simple Google Lens search on the keyframes of the viral video, we found a news report published by Hindustan Times.
The report said that two young people from Punjab had gone to Russia on student visas but were forced to join the Russia-Ukraine conflict and being recruited in the army.
Parents of 21-year-old Samarjeet Singh appealed to the central government to help trace him and said that he had left for Russia through a local agent in Ludhiana. They alleged that Singh was forced into the war.
The family of Buta Singh claimed that he, along with others, were deceived and pushed into the conflict. Singh's sister, Karamjit Kaur, said that he went to Russia through a travel agent in October 2024.
Kaur said that her brother went to Russia to pursue a language course.
What else did the family say?: An Indian Express report added that Buta Singh had gone to Russia after paying Rs 3.5 lakh via an agent.
India Today TV spoke to Gursevak Singh from Jalandhar, who said, "We are stuck on a Russian visit on visitor visa—we have been handed over guns and no training. We don’t even have food to eat. But now time is running out."
These men claimed that they were promised jobs abroad but were instead pushed into the conflict.
What did the MEA say?: The official X handle of Ministry of External Affairs' spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said that the government has taken up the matter with the Russian authorities in both Delhi and Moscow.
The government has asked for the nationals to be released.
The statement further asked people to stay away "from any offers to join the Russian army as this is a course fraught with danger".
Conclusion: It is evident that the viral claim is misleading as these people were misled with job offers by travel agents and not "sold" by the Indian government.
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