'I'd rather go to prison than...' - Indian surrenders to Ukraine following argument with Russian commander

An Indian national fighting alongside Russian forces was captured by Ukraine earlier this month, according to Kyiv Independent. The 63rd Mechanized Brigade said in a statement on October 7 that a man named Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein from the Indian city of Morbi in Gujarat was in their custody. After he came across the Ukrainian forces, he surrendered and told them that he "didn't want to fight." The 22-year-old had come to Russia as a student, he said in a video recorded by the brigade. However, he was sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison on drug-related charges. To escape the punishment, Russian officials offered him a contract with the Russian military, he said. "I didn't want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the 'special military operation' (Russia's term for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine). But I wanted to get out of there," Majoti said.

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This comes after earlier reports of several Indians ending up in the Russian forces through deceitful schemes. In September, two such Indians told The Hindu that they had gone to Moscow on a student or visitor visa in the past six months. They were hired by an agent to work as construction workers, but ended up in the war zone. Thirteen others with them were also caught in a similar situation, they said in a video appealing for help. The Indian Government released a statement on the matter following reports that Indians were being enlisted in Russian forces after being allowed into the country for construction jobs. The MEA stated that it was in touch with Russian officials to facilitate the return of Indians caught in these circumstances. According to a report by Deutsche Welle on February 11, at least 12 Indians have been killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, while 16 are missing.

“There is no truth there,” Indian says of Russia

Majoti said that he was trained for 16 days, and on October 1, he was sent on his first combat mission, where he spent three days. He then had an argument with his commander and decided to surrender to the Ukrainian troops. "I came across a Ukrainian trench position about 2-3 kilometres away. I immediately put down my rifle and said that I didn't want to fight. I needed help," he said. "I don't want to go back to Russia. There is no truth there, nothing. I'd rather go to prison here (in Ukraine)," he added.

The Indian government has refused to side with any country in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.