‘Sent to Ukraine war zone’: Uttarakhand youth on study visa forced into Russian Army, family pleads for rescue

A 30-year-old man, Rakesh Kumar, from Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand had travelled to Russia just last month for higher studies, but within weeks, he was allegedly forced to join the Russian army and sent to fight in Ukraine, The Times of India reported.

According to his family, they have had no direct contact with him since early September and are now pleading for government help to bring him back.

Rakesh, a resident of Kushmoth village in Shaktifarm under Sitarganj tehsil, left for Russia on August 7 after securing admission to St Petersburg University on a study visa.

At first, his family believed everything was going well, but soon after his arrival, Rakesh began hinting that he was facing unexpected difficulties. His elder brother, Deepu Maurya, said the last proper conversation they had was on August 30.

During that call, Rakesh revealed that he had been forcibly drafted into the Russian army and was being sent to the war zone in Ukraine.

After that, his phone went unreachable. The family later received a photo showing Rakesh in a Russian military uniform. A few days later, Rakesh managed to call again, but from an unknown Russian number.

He told his family that his passport and personal documents had been seized, his emails deleted, and that he had undergone military training in the Donbas region before being sent to the frontlines. That was the last time they heard from him.

“We do not even know if he is alive. We only want the government to intervene and bring him back safely,” TOI quoted Deepu as saying.

The family has written to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on September 5, sought help from the Indian Embassy in Moscow, and approached local officials, but they are still waiting for concrete action.

In recent months, at least 20 Indian nationals, many from Punjab and Haryana, have come forward with similar claims. They allege they were lured to Russia on the promise of jobs or education but were instead forced into joining the Russian military and pushed into the ongoing war in Ukraine.