Few Indian youths are stranded in Russian war zone, confirms Ministry of External Affairs; efforts being made to release them

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed that a few Indian nationals who went to Russia seeking jobs have been stranded in the Russian war zone. The MEA said that efforts are being made to release these Indians. The MEA also said that it received information that these Indians were being forced to join the Wagner Group. 12 Indians are stranded in Russia.

"We are aware that a few Indian nationals have signed up for support jobs with the Russian army. The Indian Embassy has regularly taken up this matter with the relevant Russian authorities for their early discharge. We urge all Indian nationals to exercise due caution and stay away from this conflict," MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

Two people from Telangana, three from Karnataka, one each from Gujarat and UP and two from Kashmir are stranded in Mariupol, Kharkiv and Donetsk. They are being forced to join the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded private military company. These youths approached the agent after watching a video posted by a YouTube vlogger named Faisal Khan about getting a security job in Russia. Each of the youth victims paid Rs 3.5 lakh to the agents.

The youths recently sought help from the central government through a video message sent to their relatives. In the video, they said that they were being pressured to join the army and participate in the war against Ukraine. Following this, the youth's families and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi approached the Ministry of External Affairs.