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A video appeared online at the beginning of March. Seven young men from India turn to their government for help, explaining that they were unintentionally tricked into doing military service in Russia. They keep saying they would be used in the war in Ukraine.
The Indian TV channel NDTV, among others, reported on the video. According to ‘The Hindu’, five of the men are from the Indian region of Punjab, the other two from Haryana. The Indians wear Russian military uniforms. It is unclear where the recording was made.
Tour Belarus – without a visa
According to Indian reports, the men traveled to Russia on December 27 to celebrate New Year. So they had a visa for 90 days. But then they met a so-called guide who took them on a tour of Belarus. The problem: the Indians did not have a visa for Belarus.
“The police arrested us and handed us over to the Russian authorities, who forced us to sign documents,” one of the men in the video explains. The brother of one of the victims told NDTV that the documents stated that the men should either accept a 10-year prison sentence or join the Russian army.
“We don’t get anything to eat”
The German TV channel ZDF spoke by telephone with Gurpreet Singh, one of the men from the video. He is not doing well, reports the Indian. «I came back today from a day on the front line. We are being sent there again.”
The situation is grim, says Singh. ‘We don’t get anything to eat. We all get sick.” There are dead people everywhere. ‘There were seventeen, eighteen boys here, only three or four came back. The rest are dead. No idea where their bodies are.’
Singh said he was stationed in the town of Sadowe, near the town of Tokmak in Zaporizhia Oblast. When asked whether he was forced to go to the front, he replied: “Yes, they exert great coercion! They push and kick us. If someone doesn’t want to participate, they will be beaten.”
Total number is unclear
An unnamed Russian Defense Ministry employee with Indian roots told The Hindu in February that around 100 Indians had been recruited as military aides at the Moscow recruitment center last year.
Later, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said about 20 Indians working as support staff in the Russian army had asked Indian authorities for help. They are in contact with Russian authorities. He did not mention the total number of Indians working for the Russian army. (no)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
