MEA Parliament Reply Does Little to Help Families of Missing Indians in Russian Army
Jalandhar: A parliament reply has done little to assuage the concerns of families of Indians stuck serving in the Russian army, who for several months have been hearing unconfirmed reports of the deaths of their near ones.
While junior minister of external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha on December 18 that 119 people have been discharged from the Russian Army through concerted efforts of the Indian government, the families of those who say they were tricked into joining the army say they have been running from pillar to post for the safe return of their breadwinners.
Some said that they have been told that their loved ones are no more and yet, there has been no confirmation or immediate action taken by the government.
Parliament reply and official figures
The Russia-Ukraine war started on February 24, 2022. In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha regarding the repatriation of Indians in the Russian Army, MoS Singh also told parliament that out of the total 202 youths recruited, 26 people were killed while seven were missing in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“Efforts are going on for the early discharge of 50 other individuals stuck in the Russia-Ukraine war,” the MoS said.
The minister’s reply comes shortly after Russian president Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to India. Russia and India share strong diplomatic ties.
The MoS also claimed that the government of India remains continuously engaged with the Russian side to ensure the safety, well-being, and early discharge of all Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces. “This matter is discussed at various levels, including during interactions between leaders, ministers, and officials of the two sides,” he added.
The minister also shared that the MEA has aided in repatriation of mortal remains of 10 deceased Indian nationals to India and local cremation of two Indian nationals.
“The DNA samples of family members of 18 Indians, who were reported dead or missing have also been shared with the Russian authorities in a bid to establish the identity of some of the deceased Indian nationals,” the minister claimed.
Last year, prime minister Narendra Modi had raised the issue of Indians fighting in the Russian Army during his two meetings with Putin. Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar had also visited Russia in August this year.
A different story
In September this year, The Wire had reported how seven Indian youths, most of them from Punjab, Haryana and Jammu were tricked into joining the Russian Army.
The young men, stuck at occupied Ukraine’s Selydove in the Donetsk region, had made a fervent appeal to the MEA to save them at the earliest.
Some of the men from among the group of seven said that they were being forcibly sent to the war zone.
The families have now alleged that there were unconfirmed reports of deaths among those who joined the Russian Army recently.
Jagdish Kumar, a resident of Goraya town of Jalandhar district, who had gone to Russia along with his father to search for his missing brother Mandeep Kumar said that he has submitted his brother's DNA reports and relevant documents to trace him. Mandeep has been missing in the Russia-Ukraine war from March 21, 2024.
“I went to Moscow and St. Petersburg and was further planning to go to Rostov-on-Don, the strategic Russian Army headquarters close to Ukraine to search for my brother, but the Russian Army Commander at St. Petersburg, who assisted me in reaching out to the Russian government officials did not allow me to go there. I had planned to visit the mortuary at Rostov-on-Don as a last resort,” he said.
Kumar, who spent two-months in Russia and came back to India on December 8. He said that Sadhna Yadav, the wife of Sunil Yadav from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh had also gone with him to look for her husband. This was Kumar's second visit to Russia. He had gone in March this year as well.
“The Russian Army has kept three persons – my brother Mandeep Kumar, Umeshwar Prasad and Deepak – in the list of missing persons. Russian Army authorities said they will inform us about the status of these three missing persons within a week," he added.
A pamphlet of the Russian Army, mentioning notary benefits for soldiers, their families and heirs. The document headline reads that foreigners who are legally in Russia and want to sign a contract with Russian Army do not need to pay regional tariff. Photo: By arrangement.
'Rs 25 lakh to Indians'
Kumar claimed that he had learnt from Russian Army authorities that there were around 800 Indian youths who were stuck in the Russian Army, contrary to the figures given by the MoS in the parliament.
“Out of 800, around 28 Indians including those who joined the Russian Army recently have been killed in the Russia-Ukraine war so far," he added.
Talking about the high number of Indians still getting tricked into joining the Russian Army, Kumar said that immigrants and especially Indians are an easy target.
“They were picking up Indian nationals and putting them in jail for lack of residence proof and other immigration documents. Then the Russian authorities were forcing the young men to sign contracts which would get them Rs 25 lakh each and a place in the Russian Army in exchange for release. This is the reason Indian nationals were among the victims," he clarified.
A pamphlet listing benefits for soldiers in SVO (Special Military Operations). It mentions that soldiers under SVO do not need to pay any regional tariff in Russia. Photo: By arrangement.
According to the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, the Russian defence ministry had stopped recruiting Indians in April 2024. The embassy has maintained that the release of Indian nationals has been delayed due to the nature of military service contracts, leading to a rise in casualties.
Apart from his brother, Jagdish Kumar also searched for the 12 other Indians who were also missing for the past over one and half year. On October 16, the Indian Embassy in Moscow gave power of attorney to Kumar to complete the necessary formalities for processing the compensation claims for the family members of the missing individuals.
‘Unconfirmed reports causing panic’
One of the missing persons, Gursewak Singh from Mehta village in Gurdaspur district, had spoken to this correspondent hours before he joined the war and had pleaded with the Indian government to save his life. “As I will be in the battlefront, my phone will be switched off. The Indian government should intervene at the earliest and save our lives,” he had said.
Singh has not been heard from since. For the last three months, his family has been looking for him.
Singh's partner Suman told The Wire that she got unconfirmed news about his death. “An Indian national named Vicky, who returned home after serving in the Russian Army shared this news with us. We are terrified and cannot believe it till any official confirmation from the MEA comes,” she said.
Sharing details of the war front, as told to her by Vicky, she said, “Most of the Indian youths died during a fierce battle on September 25, 2025. We also got a document in one of our WhatsApp groups about Gursewak’s death, but there is no clarity.”
Suman, who too was in Russia on a work visa and returned home to Jalandhar in October this year. “Gursewak’s mother is inconsolable and I am in a helpless condition. We do not know whom to believe and where to go,” she added.
This article went live on December twenty-second, two thousand twenty five, at twenty-one minutes past three in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
