The Russian government recently discharged dozens of Indian men who had been forcibly conscripted to fight in the war in Ukraine. Duped by offers of jobs and money, 91 Indians were dropped against their wishes in the Russian war zone with little to no military training reports the BBC. 

Job recruiter bait and switch with deadly consequences 

Last week 91 Indians who had been fighting for Russia were officially discharged and are returning home. But they never should have been in there in the first place according to testimony from the men themselves. They went to Russia because recruiters promised them good jobs and a decent paycheck. All of them were blue-collar workers between 19-35 years old and most were from poor families. At worst, recruiters said, they might end up as “helpers” in the Russian army. The contracts they signed were in Russian, a language they didn’t understand. But the men signed anyway hoping for the best. However, once they were dropped into the war zone, the reality of their situation turned deadly.  

Mohammad Sufyan spoke about his friend, Hemil Mangukiya:  

“He was merely 15 meters from me, digging a trench near Krynky [in Kherson], when a missile landed, I put his dead body in the truck with my own hands.”  

Far more than “helpers” many of the conscripted men said they were stationed in parts of Ukraine under Russian control. Once there, they had to navigate landmines, drones, missiles and sniper attacks with little to no military training. To date, nine Indians have died in the conflict. So far Indian authorities have arrested 19 people for human trafficking. 

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