Russians have tricked dozens of Indians to fight against Ukraine – BBC

Dozens of Indian citizens were deceitfully drawn into the ranks of Russian forces. 

Their families are demanding that the Indian government bring their men back home, Rubryka reports, referring to BBC and The Hindu.

According to reports, Indians aged between 22 and 31 were hired as supposed "assistants to a military establishment in Russia" and then sent to the battlefield under the guise of "training."

Sources cited by the media claim that dozens of Indians have joined the Russian army. Another source within the Russian Ministry of Defense told The Hindu that the actual number recruited in the past year is around 100 individuals.

Some families received videos from their sons, in which they explained how they were deceived by Russian agents and sent to the battlefield. Most of the deceived individuals were economically disadvantaged, according to BBC.

Agents promised the Indians high salaries and Russian passports after a few months of service in the army. However, the men were not informed that they would have to fight in Ukraine.

Agents primarily recruit people from India, the UAE, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. According to The Hindu, Hemal Ashwinbhai from the Indian state of Gujarat died in a missile strike last week. His father told BBC that he was inside Ukrainian territory, 20-22 km from the border.

The families of the Indians involved in the war have appealed to the federal government to bring them back home.

India's Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged that "some Indian citizens were engaged to support the Russian army."

Each such case has been discussed with the Russian authorities, and several Indians have already been released. The Ministry of External Affairs urged "all Indian citizens to exercise caution and stay away from this conflict."

As Rubryka reported, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence stated that Russia has found another way to bolster its army by recruiting mercenaries from Asian countries.

Russia recruits mercenaries from Syria for the war against Ukraine. They are issued Russian passports through an accelerated procedure. Russia has also enlisted 15,000 residents of Nepal into its army. This happened after the Russian government announced favorable terms of service for foreign fighters joining the Russian military in 2023.

Moscow plans to continue replenishing the ranks of the occupiers. Recently, the UK predicted that Putin intends to conscript another 170,000 people for the war against Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Britain, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Russians have lost over 300,000 military personnel. Still, even official Russian Federation figures do not know the exact number of casualties.

Putin has stated that by the end of the year, half a million Russians will be amassed for the war against Ukraine; currently, 617,000 are fighting.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, the Russian losses as of February 26 since the start of the full-scale invasion in live force have already exceeded 410,700 soldiers.