NEW DELHI – After hearing that some people were tricked into joining the Russian army and fighting on the front lines in Ukraine, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly advised Indian citizens not to do so. The warning comes after Indian news outlets reported on guys who were promised positions that weren’t in the military yet ended themselves on the battlefield.
MEA spokeswoman Randhir Jaiswal said on Wednesday that they were aware of claims that Indian citizens were being recruited into the Russian army. “Government has on several occasions over the past one year underlined the risks and dangers inherent in this course of action and cautioned Indian citizens accordingly,” Jaiswal remarked.
The advice came after The Hindu published a story about two Indian men who are now in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. They said they were lured to Russia with the promise of building jobs, but instead they were sent to the front lines. The men, who were speaking from Selydove, a town that Russia just took over, said that at least 13 more Indians are in a similar dangerous predicament. The report says that the recruits had gone to Russia on student or visiting visas in the past six months, and that an agent had tricked them into doing so.
Jaiswal said that the MEA has talked to Russian officials in both Delhi and Moscow about the problem and asked them to stop doing things like this and free the Indian citizens right away. He also said that the ministry is in touch with the families of the people who were hurt.
The spokeswoman repeated the government’s warning and stressed how dangerous this kind of recruitment is. “We once again strongly urge all Indian nationals to stay away from any offers to join the Russian army as this is a course fraught with danger,” he said. The event shows how worried people are getting about the safety of Indians in war zones and the dangers of fake recruitment methods.