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A group of young men from Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh and nearby districts, who traveled to Russia seeking employment, have found themselves trapped in the war against Ukraine. Initially promised jobs as security guards and cooks, they were allegedly deceived by agents and coerced into combat.
While three of them have been killed, two managed to return home injured, and eight remain unaccounted for. Their desperate families are now urging the Indian government to intervene and bring them back.
According to family members, the Indian Embassy in Moscow has officially marked the missing men as "untraceable." On January 14, the Indian government reiterated its demand for Russia to repatriate Indian nationals who were allegedly misled into combat.
Families in Agony Over Missing Relatives
Anita Devi, the wife of missing Yogendra Yadav, shared her distress:
“I miss him a lot. This was his third foreign trip. He had previously worked in the Middle East for several years. The Russian job offer sounded promising, offering him Rs 2 lakh per month for a security guard position. But within days of landing in Russia, he informed us that he and others had been deceived by agents and trapped in a warzone. They were forced to undergo weapons training and sent to the frontlines to fight a war that had nothing to do with my husband or the other Indian men.”
Yogendra Yadav, from Khwajapur Madho Patti village in Azamgarh, is the father of three children. His eldest daughter, Muskan Yadav, is uncertain about appearing for her Class 12 board exams as her school fees remain unpaid.
The group of 13 men included Azaruddin Khan, Humeshwar Prasad, Vinod Yadav, Sunil Yadav, Kanhaiya Yadav, Arvind Kumar, Dhirendra Kumar, Deepak, Ramachandra, Shyam Sundar, Rakesh Yadav, Brajesh Kumar Yadav, and Yogendra Yadav. They traveled to Russia in batches between January and February 2024.
Tragically, Kanhaiya Yadav, Sunil Yadav, and Shyam Sundar lost their lives on the battlefield. Their bodies were sent home between September and December 2024. Two others, Rakesh Yadav and Brajesh Yadav, returned home in September last year with shrapnel injuries. The whereabouts of the remaining eight men remain unknown.
A Betrayal by Job Agents
The recruitment scheme, initially presented as a legitimate employment opportunity, was orchestrated by Indian-origin job agents in collusion with Russian handlers. The key agents identified are Sumit, Dushyant, and Sultan, who reportedly worked with Russian nationals to lure Indian men with lucrative job offers.
A local agent, Vinod Yadav, who initially convinced these men to go to Russia, later realized he had also been deceived. Upon arrival, he discovered that the entire scheme was a fraud.
According to the families, the agents first collected blood samples from the 13 men before opening bank accounts in their names, where Rs 7 lakh was deposited in each account by Russian handlers. However, after the men were sent to the warzone, the agents controlled their accounts, transferring only Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000 to the families.
Indu Prasad, the father of missing Humeshwar Prasad, a 24-year-old tailor from Sathiaon village, recounted his son’s ordeal:
“My son and the others were approached by Vinod Yadav, a travel agent, with an offer for security jobs in Russia at a good salary. Vinod had been helping unemployed youth travel to countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Middle East for years, so no one doubted his intentions. In fact, he himself traveled with the group. But when my son reached Russia, he called me and said Vinod had cheated them, along with three other agents. Their passports and phones were taken away by the Russians, while the job agents controlled their bank accounts.
He used to send voice messages through a Russian Army soldier’s phone to keep me informed about his situation in the warzone. But between April and May, we lost all contact with him.”
Deaths, Injuries, and Missing Persons
The men were reportedly deployed in different battalions along the Russia-Ukraine border. Those injured or killed were promised compensation of Rs 30 lakh, deposited in their Russian bank accounts. However, since their bank accounts were controlled by agents, the families never received any money.
Rakesh Yadav, who returned home injured, explained how he managed to survive:
“I was hit by grenade shrapnel in my elbow while in the Sudzha region. After our families approached the Indian government, PM Narendra Modi intervened in July, which helped me get out of Russia in September. But I don’t care about the money—what I want is the safe return of my brother Azaruddin Khan and the other missing men.”
Azaruddin’s younger sister, Zeba Khan, also expressed her anguish:
“We just want our brother back. He had a diploma in electrical engineering and went abroad for a normal job, not to fight in a war. We sent multiple emails to the Indian embassy in Moscow, but they only say that his status is ‘missing.’ My father, Mainuddin Khan, suffered a heart attack when he found out Azaruddin had been forced into combat.”
She further accused the agents of human trafficking:
“Vinod Yadav deceived my brother and the others. But it seems Vinod himself was double-crossed by Sumit, Dushyant, and Sultan, who likely sold all 13 men to Russian handlers for Rs 7 lakh each. The government must investigate this deeper.”
A Web of Deception
The fraudulent recruitment scheme has devastated multiple families. Vinod Yadav, initially a recruiter, ended up a victim himself. His cousin, Sunil Yadav, and his brother-in-law, Kanhaiya Yadav, were both killed in battle. Their bodies were returned home in September and December.
Brajesh Kumar Yadav, from Chandrapar village in Mau district, revealed how Vinod tried to prevent him from going to Russia:
“Since Vinod had experience helping people travel abroad, he came into contact with Sumit, Dushyant, and Sultan. But when he realized it was a trap, he stopped me from joining. Those three agents are likely in Russia now. We went to their office in Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi, but it was shut down. Vinod has three children, including two daughters.”
With eight men still missing, the families have now called for urgent government intervention. While India has pressed Russia for their repatriation, the families demand a more thorough investigation into the agents who orchestrated this deception.
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