The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is checking the authenticity of reports claiming that a citizen of India has been taken into custody by Ukrainian troops, according to a source cited by News18 on Tuesday.
“The Indian Embassy in Kyiv is ascertaining the veracity of the report,” the source has been quoted, adding that the government is in touch with relevant authorities.
At this point, officials said, there has been “no official communication from the Ukrainian side” regarding the alleged detention.
The MEA, through its mission in Kyiv, is continuing efforts to confirm the facts surrounding the incident, the source added.
Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanized Brigade announced on October 7 that it had captured an Indian national who had been fighting on the side of Russian forces. The individual was identified as 22-year-old Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, a student from Morbi, Gujarat, who had travelled to Russia for higher studies, according to reports by The Kyiv Independent.
In a video released by the brigade, Majoti said he had been sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison on drug-related charges. He was then offered a choice: sign a contract with the Russian military in exchange for evading harsher penalties. “I didn’t want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the ‘special military operation’,” he said, using the Russian term for its war in Ukraine.
His first deployment came after only 16 days of training. On October 1, he was sent to a combat mission, where he remained for three days. Majoti claimed that after a dispute with his commander, he chose to surrender to Ukrainian forces from the 63rd Mechanized Brigade. “I came across a Ukrainian trench position about 2-3 kilometres … I immediately put down my rifle and said that I didn’t want to fight. I needed help,” he stated in the video, as cited by The Kyiv Independent.
Majoti made clear that he had no desire to return to Russia. “There is no truth there, nothing. I’d rather go to prison here (in Ukraine),” he said. He also alleged that despite promises of financial compensation for enlisting, he never received any payment.
The Kyiv Independent reported that this development strikes amid growing concern over efforts -- reportedly orchestrated by Russia -- to entice citizens of neutral or third-party countries, including India, with assurances of lucrative work or other benefits, only to pressure them into military enlistment.
If confirmed, this case would mirror earlier accounts of Indian and Nepali nationals being deceived or pressured into signing contracts with the Russian military -- often under the pretext of job placements or educational opportunities -- only to find themselves deployed to the frontlines.
Data from India’s Ministry of External Affairs indicates that at least 12 Indian citizens have lost their lives while fighting for Russia, and 16 others are still unaccounted for, while roughly 96 individuals have been brought back home.
Russia has, on record, promised to release Indians who were “misled” into joining its forces. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in July 2024, Indian officials said they raised the issue and urged for the swift discharge of such recruits.
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