A cohort of young men hailing from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, has reached out to the government seeking assistance, alleging that they were deceived into joining the military in Russia and subsequently deployed to fight in the Ukraine conflict. In a concise 105-second video shared on X, seven individuals are depicted wearing military-style jackets in a confined and unclean environment. Gagandeep Singh, one of the group members, elucidated their predicament and appealed for aid, recounting their initial trip to Russia on December 27 to celebrate the New Year under a 90-day visa. However, they later journeyed to Belarus.
“An agent here offered to take us to Belarus… we were not aware we needed a visa. When we went to Belarus (without a visa) the agent asked us for more money and then abandoned us. The police caught us and handed us over to Russian authorities, who made us sign documents,” Gagandeep explained. Further adding, “Now they (Russia) are forcing us to fight in the war against Ukraine.”
According to a report in media, Gagandeep’s family has contacted the Ministry of External Affairs. Amrit Singh, his brother, explained that the men felt pressured because they couldn’t understand the documents they signed. “They were made to join the army there because the papers they signed in Belarus were in Russian. The documents said they had to either go to jail for 10 years or join the Russian army,” Amrit said.