A 25-year-old man from a village in Punjab’s Moga district, who traveled to Russia on a student visa last year, has reportedly been deceived into joining the Russian Army, according to his family. Buta Singh, from Chak Kanian Kalan village, is among several men, particularly from northern India, who have been misled into the Russia-Ukraine conflict and are now seeking assistance from the Indian government for their return. Singh’s sister, Karamjit Kaur, stated that her brother went to Russia in October 2024 through a travel agent to study a language, and the agent also suggested he could work part-time. To finance his trip, the family sold a piece of land.
Recently, they learned through viral videos that Singh and others were trapped and enlisted in the Russian Army to fight against Ukraine. In the video, Singh and others claimed they had been promised jobs after arriving in Moscow on student visas but instead were handed weapons and coerced into combat. Another man in the video urged the government for help, expressing that their lives were in serious danger. Kaur mentioned that the last contact with her brother was a WhatsApp voice message sent on September 11. Their father is a daily laborer, and their mother looks after livestock to support the family. The family has reached out to the government, requesting assistance for Singh’s safe return.
Recently, Congress leader Pargat Singh called for government intervention regarding the forced recruitment of Indian nationals, especially from northern India, into the Russian military amid the ongoing conflict. Singh claimed that 111 men from the region had been recruited under similar circumstances, with 15 reported missing. Senior Congress figures Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala expressed serious concern over the situation, highlighting the cases of two men from Haryana who were also deceived into joining the Russian Army. Surjewala noted that these men had gone to Russia on student visas but were misled into military service.
One of the men, Ankit Jangra, contacted his brother via video call to discuss their predicament, revealing that they had been promised a security job after three months of training with a salary of Rs 2.5 lakh per month, but were ultimately misled and forced into military service.