MEA responds to Indians caught in conflict in Russia, urges caution

New Delhi: Responding to the reports of Indian nationals forced to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday that it is aware of the matter and urged the community there to exercise due caution.

“We are aware that a few Indian nationals have signed up for support jobs with the Russian army,” Randhir Jaiswal, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, said in a statement on Friday.

Urging all Indian nationals in Russia to exercise due caution and stay away from the conflict, the statement said that the “Indian Embassy has regularly taken up this matter with the relevant Russian authorities for their early discharge”.

The response from the ministry came after Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge made an appeal to the Centre on Thursday to intervene and rescue four Indian youths who were trapped and drafted into a private army in Russia.

“The youths from Karnataka, Telangana are stuck there. Fraudulently and by means of cheating the youths were sent to the war. The Indian government must consider this development seriously. The central government must interfere and rescue the Indian youths from Russia,” the Minister told reporters in Bengaluru.

Three youths from Kalaburagi district of Karnataka are stuck in Russia, who were fraudulently recruited by a private Russian army group ‘Wagner’.

Nawaz Kalagi, father of the youth, Syed Iliyas Hussain, who is stuck in Russia, pleaded with the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help bring back his son home.

“He went to Russia on December 18, 2023. He was told that he would be doing the security helper’s job. Now they are being asked to fight in the war. My son used to work in Dubai and from there, he went to Russia,” he stated.

The incident came to light after the youths made a video sharing their plight and pleading for help.

In the video, one of them was heard saying, “Please save us, we are victims of a hi-tech fraud.”

A group of Indian youths have fallen victim to agents who deceitfully sent them to Russia under the false pretext of providing them with security guard jobs. Instead, all of them were dispatched to war-torn Ukraine-Russia areas.