7 boys from Haryana-Punjab, who had gone to Russia, forced to fight war against Ukraine

A group of youth from Punjab and Haryana have appealed to the Government of India for help. They claim that they are being cheated and forced to fight the Russia-Ukraine War. They have also shared a 105 second video on X. In this video, seven boys wearing army clothes are seen inside a closed room. Among them, a boy named Garsh is a resident of Karnal, Haryana. He is recording a video and describing his situation and pleading for help from the government.

All these boys had left for Russia on 27th December to celebrate the New Year. They had a valid visa of 90 days to go to Russia. After that the agent took them to Belarus. The boys say that they did not know that they would need a visa to go to Belarus. As soon as they reached Belarus without a visa, the agent took money from them and left them there. After this the police caught them and handed them over to the authorities. Harsh, who was making the video, claimed that he was made to sign the documents. After which Russia is forcing them to fight a war against Ukraine.

Harsh's father said that his son had gone abroad in search of employment, he was reportedly told that if he went via Russia then it would be easier for him to live in the country of his choice. Harsh's mother said, "Our son had gone abroad in search of work on December 23 and was caught in Russia and his passport was taken away. He told us that he was caught by Russian soldiers, who threatened him with 10 years of jail. And he was recruited into the army. Harsh was forced to undergo military training." Now Harsh's mother is pleading with the Indian government to bring her son back safely.

Harsh's brother claims that he was given weapons training and deployed in the Donetsk area. He said, "It is difficult to say whether he will be alive now or not." He also appealed to the government to bring the brother back to the country. The name of the other person seen in the video is said to be Gurpreet Singh, his family has also appealed to the government for help.

Gurpreet Singh's brother Amrit Singh told media that they were forced to join the army. He claimed, "The documents he signed in Belarus were in Russian, after which he was forcibly conscripted into the army there. He was told to either serve a 10-year sentence or join the Russian army."

Belarus, dependent on Russia for political and economic support, is considered one of Russia's closest allies. The Kremlin used its territory as a staging ground for its invasion of Ukraine. Since then, frequent joint military exercises have increased concerns.

The seven boys seen in the video are among the two dozen people who are allegedly stranded in Russia. They say that they were fraudulently included in the army. Last week, the External Affairs Ministry said it was in touch with other similarly stranded people, including 31-year-old Azad Yusuf Kumar from Jammu and Kashmir. Just a few days after his "recruitment", Yusuf Kumar was allegedly shot in the leg in a combat situation. There are also reports that about 10 people from Karnataka, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh are describing themselves in a similar critical situation. They were sent to Russia on the pretext of being security guards or laborers; the tricking agent also collected Rs 3 lakh each from them.

Last month, the government had said that it had come to know that some Indians are trapped in the Ukraine-Russia war. The government is negotiating for his release from Moscow.