Seven Indian nationals, six from Panjab and one from Haryana, who had been serving in the Russian Army, returned home on 10 Sep following their discharge. On 14 Sep, one youth from Telangana and three from Karnataka also returned home. The development comes after PM Narendra Modi’s July visit to Russia, during which he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and emphasized the urgent need for the early release of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army. A total of 89 Indian nationals have been serving in the Russian Army, and the Ministry of External Affairs reports that 13 have already left, while 66 others are seeking early discharge. Rajya Sabha (Upper House) MP from Panjab, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, has been actively raising the issue in the Indian Parliament. He confirmed he has been in contact with the returning youth and their families. In March, Gurpreet Singh, along with some others had sent a video to his family alleging they were forcibly recruited into the Russian Army after going there on a tourist visa to celebrate the New Year. He alleged they were threatened with 10 years in jail for visa violations. In another case, in December 2023 Mohammed Sufiyan from Telangana left Dubai where he worked at a packing company. His family claims he and others were misled into thinking they were applying for jobs as helpers in Russian govt. offices, but were actually tricked into joining their military and sent to the frontlines in Ukraine (SDW Vol 2 Issue 29, Story 2).
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