Binil's body still in Russia; grief-stricken family waits for almost three months

THRISSUR: "Two and a half months have passed. Every day, the Indian embassy is being called. Always the same answer... No information has been received from the Russian army."

Father Babu awaits the return of his son Binil's body. Binil, a native of Kuttanallur in Thrissur, had joined the Russian mercenary army and was killed during the war in Ukraine. The wait is getting longer.

Binil was killed on January 5, 2025. Binil's wife Joyce says that her only prayer is that she wants to show her son's face to his six-month-old son Jake Antonio, whom Binil had never seen.

'I want to see him. I don't know if I will be able to,' says Binil's mother, Laysi, who is tired and filled with sadness.

Binil's brother Libin, who came from the UK after learning about the death, has now started working in a construction company in his hometown. His father Babu, who was a tailor, is unable to go to work. Joyce works as a nurse at Amala Hospital.

Jain Kurian, a native of Wadakkancherry, who is injured in the same attack, is in a military hospital in Russia. He underwent two surgeries due to internal bleeding. Jain Kurian told Kerala Kaumudi that he is now able to walk and is undergoing physiotherapy.

He wishes to return home as soon as possible. However, the Indian Embassy can only intervene if a release order is received from the Russian army. There is no indication of when he will get it.