Forced to fight: how job promises lead to the Russian war zone

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. 

Bittersweet homecoming 

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Moscow in July he raised the issue of the forcibly conscripted Indians with President Vladimir Putin. In response, Russia promised an early release of all Indians fighting in its army. Since then, 45 have been discharged and some of those have now returned home safely.  

Sunil Karwa was posted near Bakhmut, an eastern Ukraine city that has seen intense fighting. He described scenes of death and destruction. Karwa was especially traumatized when a man from his neighboring village was shot on the battlefield. 

Karwa said, 

“They sent him back on the frontline 15 days after the injury and he fainted in the field. He is paralyzed now,” 

Realizing the situation was dire, a group of them posted a video online pleading for help to get home. The video reached Indian MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who raised the matter with the foreign ministry. Families of the men also appealed to the Indian government for help in bringing them back. 

Azad Yusuf Kumar who was part of Sufyan’s group in the army said: 

“It is a miracle I got back home, one minute you are digging a trench, and the next, an artillery falls and burns everything down. It was all a matter of luck if it fell on you or someone else.” 

Along with the other 44 men Kumar is finally back in his home of Kashmir, and he counts himself lucky as four men from his camp died in an attack. Tamang, another who had been serving in the Russian service since January, said that 13 out of 15 non-Russian members of his unit had died. He was sent back to the frontline at least twice after signing his discharge letter in August. Tamang is now off the front line, but he mistrusts the process after his experience. “I am out, but I will keep sending you my location,” he told the reporter, hardly believing he was finally heading home.