Indians 'duped' into joining Russian army return home, say were 'treated like slaves'
Russia's attack on Ukraine
FourIndian citizens, who were duped into joining the Russian army to fight in its war with Ukraine, returned to India on Friday (Sep 13), The Times of India reported.
The four Indian men received a heartwarming welcome as they flew back to India.
Earlier, these men shot a video, urging the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to rescue them from Russia. One of these four men, Mohammad Sufiyan from the Indian state ofTelangana, released a video seven months back, requesting to be rescued.
Earlier this year, a group of men claimed that they were fraudulently drafted into the Russian Army under the pretext of "lucrative job offers".
However, many other Indians are still stuck in Moscow, forced to serve as soldiers in Russia's war againstUkraine.
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How were Indians 'lured'?
Young Indian men were promised jobs as security personnel or helpers in Russia, after which theywere shipped out of Indiain December 2023.
Sufiyan told Times of India, "We were treated like slaves. We were woken up at 6 am every day and made to work 15 hours straight - with no rest or sleep. The conditions were inhuman."
They had to dig trenches and operate assault rifles. They were even trained to use Kalashnikovs such as the AK-12 and AK-74, hand grenades, and other explosives.
Watch |Killer agents trafficking Indians to Russia
“Our hands were blistered, our backs ached and our spirits were broken. Yet if we showed any signs of exhaustion, bullets were fired at us to force us back into the laborious tasks,” Sufiyan told TOI.
Adding to their misery, their phones were reportedly confiscatedand they did not know when they would return to India or be allowed totalk to their families.
'Hope of coming back home'
However, they managed to comfort themselves with the thought of returning back to their home.
Sufiyan recalled his friend Hamil dying, “Hamil, a very good friend of mine from Gujarat, was blown to death in a drone attack. He was part of a team of 24 soldiers, including one Indian and one Nepali. It shook me up.”
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
