Amritsar: Tejpal Singh, 29, from Amritsar was proud of his army uniform. It wasn’t the dark olive green or fatigues of the Indian Army, but a light green uniform issued by his Russian commanders.
“I’m finally in uniform,” he told his wife Parminder Kaur, flaunting his new look on their regular video calls from the Russian camp. They lost connection when Singh was taken to Tokmak city in the war-torn Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine. The last time she heard from him was on 3 March. He died that month in the Russia-Ukraine war, fighting for a foreign country in a foreign land.
All Singh wanted to do was join the Army, but he could never make the cut. The introduction of the Agnipath scheme where 75 per cent of recruits can serve for only four years marked the end of his lifelong dream. Until he heard that the Russian Army would recruit him. He just had to get to Moscow.
Singh was one of two Indian nationals killed in the conflict, whose deaths were confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on June 11. The MEA had previously reported two more deaths in March this year. Over a hundred Indian men have reportedly joined the Russian army as ‘helpers’ and Moscow isn’t allowing them to return to India. The MEA has demanded that the Indians be returned and that all further recruitment be stopped. “Such activities would not be in consonance with our partnership,” the MEA said in a statement on 12 June.
Many Indians allege they were deceived into fighting on the front lines with the Russians, despite being told they were going to the country to work as cooks and helpers.
Around 30 Indian men have approached the Indian embassy for help. Among them is Singh’s friend.
“He is the friend who confirmed to me that Tejpal is no longer with us. He is also trying to return to India now,” said Parminder Kaur. Her two children—a six-year-old son and two-year-old daughter—play with each other in the family’s small home in Amritsar, in front of a portrait of their father in a Russian military uniform. Hanging next to it in the drawing room is a photograph of Singh’s younger brother who died of a heart attack in 2019.
Singh’s family maintains that he went to Russia on his own accord. He flew to Thailand on 20 December, arrived in Moscow on 12 January, and signed up with the Russian army three days later. The family got to know about his death on 9 June.
Singh’s flight from India is a reflection of the desperation of young people, especially in Punjab and Haryana, to leave the country for opportunities in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, and now Russia. It is an alternative to the ‘Canada dream’.
Many Indians allege they were deceived into fighting on the front lines with the Russians, despite being told they were going to the country to work as cooks and helpers.
“Russia is one such opportunity where youth go to find work, and the price of emigration is much cheaper. They take help from the many travel agencies for the same. But neither the agent, nor the person applying for the job really understand what they’re getting into,” a senior officer in Punjab Police said.
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Army dreams
The police officer in Amritsar said young men are not aware of the risk associated with joining an active front with just two weeks of training.
Tejpal Singh was a tall man with a well-built muscular body. Since he was a teenager, acquaintances and friends showered compliments on him and told him that he was a perfect fit for the Army. Singh believed in this dream. But years of trying to get into the Indian army brought no results.
“He tried to get into the Army three-four times but with no luck. Then Covid came and recruitments stopped, after which the Agnipath scheme was announced. This put an end to his dreams of getting into the army,” his wife said.
Singh didn’t lose hope though. When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, he started following the developments very closely, even showing videos to Kaur and explaining the politics behind it. Singh had earlier lived in Cyprus for three years and got intrigued by the conflict. In 2023, when he got to know that the Russians were recruiting for the armed forces, he instantly wanted to go. But his family was reluctant.
“For months, he kept saying I want to go to Ukraine to join the army. We discouraged him and told him that the situation is dangerous there. But he didn’t listen to us,” his uncle, Satwinder Singh said.
In 2023, Singh had established contact with Indians working in Russia on social media. They said great things about Russia on video calls, and spoke of attractive pay and downplayed the risks involved. “These mercenaries he was in touch with told Tejpal things were safe in Russia and to not worry. They had been earning well and hadn’t been harmed for a while,” Kaur added.
In December 2023, the family claims they let Singh go to Thailand to help him take his mind off things. However, once he reached there, he informed his wife that he wasn’t coming back and was headed to Moscow. In January, he reached Moscow and enrolled in the army. On 16 January, Kaur said, his training began.
“He was quite happy when he reached there. He proudly sent his photograph in an army uniform, and informed us that training has begun. He was in training for two weeks,” Kaur added.
The police officer in Amritsar said young men are not aware of the risk associated with joining an active front with just two weeks of training.
“They do not understand the years and years of training it takes before one can fight at the front. They’re just thrown into a war without much thought,” he added.
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The desperation
Armaandeep and Gurnaz, the two kids who survived Singh, are so young that they don’t even realise their father has died. They run around giggling near Kaur as she sits with her husband’s photograph in her hands.
After Singh reached Moscow in January, he was in constant touch with his family till 3 March. That’s when he informed them that his phone was now being taken away since he was headed toward the front, and that he won’t be able to stay in touch for 10 days.
However, 10 days turned into a month, and his family grew increasingly concerned. Kaur started calling the Punjabis she knew in Ukraine, but they didn’t tell her about Singh’s whereabouts, making excuses such as him being at a forward post and assuring he would contact them soon.
By June, Kaur became desperate and pressured her husband’s colleagues to tell her the truth. One of them finally admitted that Singh had been killed in March itself.
“The worst part is, the news hasn’t come to us through proper channels. We had to beg to get to know about his whereabouts,” Kaur said.
If Singh had died serving the Indian Army, his remains would have been brought home wrapped in the Tricolour.
“All I want is for his body to be brought back to India. If not his body then his uniform… his belongings… something. So we could say goodbye to him,” she added.
Kaur has established contact with the Indian embassy in Russia, and has sent them the necessary documents to identify Singh. The embassy has promised to call in three-four days. She’s waiting for the call—and her husband.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)