New Delhi: A 22-year old Indian national is in Ukrainian custody after surrendering to its armed forces, according to a statement by the country’s 63rd Mechanised Brigade Tuesday.
“Majoti [Sahil Mohamed Hussein], a 22-year old…Indian was taken prisoner! He studied in Russia but got caught with drugs. And to avoid going to prison, he went to war. He swears he didn’t intend to fight, and planned to escape immediately. So during the very first assault he surrendered to the fighters of the 63rd brigade,” the Mechanised Brigade said in a statement on messaging application Telegram.
The Indian mission in Kyiv has yet to receive any formal communication from the Ukrainian government over the fate of Hussein, sources said.
Hussein appeared in a video statement published by the Ukrainian military unit, which has not been independently verified by ThePrint, where he can be seen highlighting that he is from Gujarat’s Morbi, and was sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison on drug-related charges. Russian authorities, he claimed, had offered him an opportunity to sign a contract with the Russian military to avoid further punishment.
The Indian national was purportedly given roughly two weeks of training before being sent to the frontlines on 1 October. About 72 hours later, he surrendered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Over 120 Indians have signed up and fought for Russia on the frontlines in the almost four-year long war with Ukraine. New Delhi has raised this issue at the highest levels with Moscow, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Russia in July 2024.
Almost 100 Indians were sent home, while about 12 were killed on the frontlines. The recruitment of Indians to the Russian army occurred in 2023 and early 2024. Russia has relied on foreign troops to some extent on the frontlines, according to Ukraine. There have been reports of North Korean soldiers captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces earlier this year.
Indians from at least eight states and one Union Territory, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir, have been documented as recruits to the Russian Armed Forces.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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