At the initiative of the Modi government, 45 Indians stranded in Russia were brought back home. The Ministry of External Affairs said it was working to ensure the release of about 50 people as soon as possible. These Indian citizens were incorporated into the Russian army. These people volunteered to join the army and represented Russia in the war with Ukraine. But now he wants to come back. Prime Minister Modi raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Among the Indians released was Azad Yusuf Kumar, a resident of South Kashmir’s Avantipora district, who toiled in the war-torn region and was seriously injured by a bullet during frontline combat training. He returned home on the initiative of the Modi government and was happy to see his family again after a gap of nearly two years.
“The Russian commander read out some names in broken English and then asked us to return to India,” Azad recalled, according to the Press Trust of India. “He only knew so much English. We couldn’t believe he was actually talking about our freedom.” Russian officials cited Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as affecting the status of his visit.
“He said President Putin met Modi and now your contract is cancelled,” Azad said, expressing his deep admiration for the prime minister. “I think it was Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia that helped me get home safely. My wife had given birth to our son during this time.”
Azad told me that more than two years ago I discovered the YouTube channel ‘Baba Vlogs’, allegedly run by Faisal Khan, a resident of Mumbai. On this channel, someone was promising a job as a security assistant in Russia. The starting salary was between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000, with the possibility of rising to Rs 1 lakh. Convinced by these success stories, I applied for the position and paid a huge travel and processing fee of Rs 1.3 lakh. On December 14, 2022, he travelled to Mumbai from Poshwan village, where he met a job seeker from Gujarat.
He told us that both of them were then sent to Chennai. On December 19, he arrived at Moscow Domodedovo Airport and was shocked by the reality of his situation. He was handed over to the Russian army. This also made me nervous. They asked us to sign the contract in Russian and we had to call for help.
We were soon taken to the Russian-Ukrainian border for frontline combat training.
Azad told me that I, along with six other Indian recruits, faced unimaginable difficulties. We did not speak the local language and there was no one to help. A few days after the training, I was shot in the leg and had to stay in the hospital for 18 days. It was like a massacre. I did not know how to use a gun, that is why I was injured.
I also witnessed the death of some Indian recruits, including my close friend from Gujarat. When I was taken to the hospital after being shot, my eyes were closed. But the doctor accompanying me slapped me and asked me not to close my eyes. I lost a lot of blood.
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