A group of young men from Panjab and Haryana have appealed to the Indian government for help, claiming they were tricked into military service in Russia and have been sent to fight Moscow's war on Ukraine. In a 105-second video circulated on X seven men are seen wearing military-style winter jackets with hoods, or skull caps. They are standing inside a dingy and dirty room with a closed (and locked) window at one end. Six of them are huddled in a corner while the seventh — 19-year-old Harsh from Karnal — records a video message explaining their situation and asking for help. The men claim they left for Russia on 27 Dec 2023 to celebrate the New Year there. They had a visa for the Russia trip, valid for 90 days, but then traveled to neighboring Belarus. In February 2024, the Russia-Ukraine war entered its third year. The episode has dark undertones. According to Navdeep Kaur, the sister of one of the young men Ravneet Singh, ‘They were deceived and are now being sent to fight against Ukraine. Ravneet had spent $13K and secured a tourist visa to Russia. They were promised a handsome job. However, an agent took them to Belarus without securing a visa for that country, and they were arrested and handed over to Russian soldiers.’ Russia has long been on the donkey route for Panjabi youth.’ Given the youth’s discontent with gainful opportunities in Panjab, the fear of them joining private militias such as the Wagner Group is real. India claims to have busted the network of agents trying to recruit youth to fight another nation’s war.
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