Kusum Arora 
Jalandhar: The news of the death of a Haryana-based youth on the Russian battlefront has sent shock waves not only in his family but among the families of other youths too, who were forced to join the Russian Army. This is the fifth death of an Indian national in the Russian war.
The deceased youth has been identified as Ravi Moun (22) from Matour village in Kaithal district, Haryana. Like many others on their way either to Russia, Italy or the US, he too was forced to join the Russian Army.
Ravi’s extended family and his brother learnt about his demise through an official communication from the Indian Embassy in Moscow. The Embassy has sought the DNA report of Ravi’s mother but since she expired earlier, the family would be sending the report of his father. He had last spoken to his family on March 12 after which he went missing.
It is pertinent to mention that in March, the news of around 100 youth primarily from Punjab, Haryana and some from Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala tricked into the Russian Army had surfaced leading to panic among their families. The youths were misled by fake travel agents that they would be hired as support staff in the Russian Army but were pushed into the war zone against their will.
The ministry of external affairs had sought action against fake travel agents who were involved in sending the youths to the Russian Army. In a series of actions, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also registered FIR against some agents across the country.
Also read: Indians ‘Forced to Fight on Russian Border’ Say Pleas to Indian Embassy Have Gone Unheard: Report
‘We had big hopes that the Modi government would save our son’: Ravi’s family
Talking to The Wire from Matour village in Kaithal district, Haryana, Sonu Matour, the cousin of Ravi Moun said that he had learnt about his cousin’s death around a month ago. “I got to know about his death from some other youths, who too were at the Russian frontline. I avoided sharing this news with his family as there was no official communication. We are yet to break this news to Ravi’s father,” he said.
For Ravi’s family and that of many others clueless about the fate of their sons, the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia was a big ray of hope. PM Modi had raised this issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian officials too had assured the early discharge of the Indian nationals from the Russian Army.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Twitter.
Sonu said that Ravi went to Russia in January this year for which his family paid Rs 11 lakh. “The fake travel agent who sent Ravi to Russia was also from Matour village. We were told that Ravi would be employed in a transportation firm in Russia, where his job would be to load and unload the Russian Army’s ration supplies. However, when he reached Russia, he was forcibly sent to the battlefront. We got an FIR registered against the travel agent Satyawan Matour alias Satta in this case,” he said.
Recalling the initial days of Ravi’s joining the Russian Army, Sonu said that he had also sent him his Army contract. “Ravi was forced to sign the contract, which was written in the Russian language. I translated it through Google where it was mentioned that he was joining the Russian Army at his own will but that was a big lie. The Russian authorities had also confiscated his passport and mobile phone, so that he could not run away,” he said.
To a query was he able to send some money back home, as was being claimed that soldiers in the Russian Army were paid Rs 50 lakh annually, Sonu said that his cousin did not send a single penny home. “Rather Ravi’s father sold their only asset – a one-acre agricultural land and raised Rs 11 lakh to send him to Russia. Not only did he lose his son, he lost his life’s support too,” he added.
It was learnt that Ravi had not gone to Russia alone. He went along with five other youths also from his village out of which one youth was seriously injured in the war and was admitted to the hospital. “But at least they were in touch with their families and safe, Sonu added.
‘Release the list of youths fighting on Russian battlefront’: Mandeep Kumar’s family
Most of the youths, who were still stuck on the Russian frontline went missing from March onwards. However, there were some others who were in touch with their families, giving them hope that their sons were fine.
Jalandhar based Mandeep Kumar who was also forced to join the Russian Army and has not been in touch with his family since March. Photo: By arrangement.
One such case was that of Mandeep Kumar from Goraya town in Jalandhar, who too spoke to his family for the last time on March 3. Mandeep along with 40 other youth from Punjab and Haryana were tricked into joining the Russian Army, putting their lives at risk.
Jagdeep Kumar, the elder brother of Mandeep Kumar, told The Wire that his brother had initially gone to Armenia in August 2023 along with two of his friends. “After some time, Mandeep along with his two friends met two other boys in Armenia and planned to move to Italy during which they were trapped in Russia. While the other four boys returned, Mandeep was tricked to join the Russian Army,” he said.
He also shared that Mandeep has studied till Class 7 and slightly physically disabled on foot. “My heart aches when I think about how my brother who had a slight physical disability was pushed on the Russian battlefront. The last photo he sent us was in a Russian Army uniform and carrying a gun,” he said.
The family also got an FIR registered against Kapurthala district-based travel agent under Section 406, 420, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals (Regulation) Act 2014 at Goraya police station under Jalandhar Rural Police.
Notably, Mandeep’s family paid Rs 7 lakh to send him abroad. “All the five boys had in total paid Rs 35,00,000 to the travel agent,” Jagdeep Kumar said.
Requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back all those stuck in the Russian war zone, Mandeep’s family said that when India shares good relations with Russia, then what is stopping the Modi government from bringing the youths back?
“We cannot see the dead bodies of our sons. It is our earnest request that the Modi government should at least release a list of all the youths fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, provide their details and bring them back at the earliest. We were hopeful that PM Modi’s visit to Russia would ensure the release of our sons but nothing happened so far,” Mandeep’s family said.
Mandeep’s family friend Amandeep who took up his case with Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal said, “We are indebted to Sant Seechewal for supporting us. He met us and handed over our letter to Union minister of external affairs S. Jaishankar. It was after his meeting with S. Jaishankar that PM Modi had announced that all Indian youths in the Russian Army would be brought back.”
Amandeep also said that during Lok Sabha elections, he along with Jagdeep Kumar had met Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann in Goraya. “CM Bhagwant Mann has assured us that he will take up our case. We do not know what happened next”, he shared.
Post PM Modi’s visit to Russia, Gurdaspur youth sent back to battlefront
A Gurdaspur district-based youth Gagandeep Singh, who sustained a knee injury in the Russia-Ukraine war was also forced to join the Russian Army against his will. Like many others, he too was fighting on the Russian battlefront waiting for his early release.
PM Modi’s visit to Russia had given him hope that he would be released soon but when he was asked to join his unit again, the youth was heartbroken.
In a report in Indian Express, Gagandeep Singh shared how after PM Modi’s recent visit to Russia, he was forced to go back to the war zone. As he was injured, he was taken to a secure place from where he shared that how after PM Modi’s visit, his unit commander denied getting any orders from the government for the release of the Indian youth in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Gagandeep Singh had stated that the Russian Army officers knew that Putin had made an announcement to release the Indian youths, who were forced to join the war. “But after PM Modi went back, our whole unit was asked to go back to the frontline. The Indian government should speak to the Russian government and take us back to India,” he had shared.