At least 91 Indians have been forced to be fight alongside the Russian army on the frontlines, and so far, eight Indian nationals have been killed. Many families have been waiting agonisingly long for their loved ones to return home.
It all began with an online job scam and the dream of a better future in a foreign country. The victims told The Wire they were duped by YouTube job scamsters, with many pointing fingers at Faisal Khan, a Dubai-based YouTuber who runs the Baba Vlogs channel. They were allegedly convinced that they would work as non-combatant workers and helpers in the Russian army, far away from the frontlines.
Hemil’s father, Ashwin, told The Wire that his son was seeking better work opportunities in India when he came across a YouTube channel, Baba Vlogs, that promised unemployed Indians like him a job as a helper in the Russian Army. Despite constant reassurances from the channel clarifying that the particular post didn’t demand deployment, it ultimately did lead to Hemil’s forced deployment and his tragic death in a Ukrainian drone strike.https://thewire.in/rights/dead-trapped-and-waiting-to-escape-meet-the-indians-forced-to-fight-russias-war-against-ukraineAshwin Mangukiya travelled to Russia again seeking compensation for the loss of his son. He stayed in Russia for nearly two weeks at his own expense. He denied any kind of help from the Indian Embassy in Russia and the Indian government. According to him, the Russian government promised a compensation of Rs 1.3 crore within three months
The issue of Indians fighting the Russian war as soldiers also assumes significant political relevance as in the BJP’s campaigning for the general elections, it also pushed a narrative of Prime Minister Modi single-handedly putting a halt to the war to ensure the rescue of trapped Indian students in Ukraine.
The people from the Indian subcontinent were forced to fight a war without their consent, using fraudulent means. While some people have lost their lives as their families mourn for the dead, others are still going through an antagonising wait for their loved ones to return. The bureaucratic hurdles, the thousands of kilometres, and the uncharted territory only aggravate this incomprehensible situation. .
by Vipul Kumar and Neel Madhav
26/08/2024