How high wages lured Indian youth from Gulf into Russia-Ukraine conflict

Amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, some Indians hailing from various parts of the country, including Telangana, have been fraudulently recruited to fight along with the Russian army in the war zone

Dubai: Amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, some Indians hailing from various parts of the country, including Telangana, have been fraudulently recruited to fight along with the Russian army in the war zone. Among them were many based in the Gulf, who came into contact with some Indian social media influencers who lured them by offering attractive salaries and promised them non-combatant roles to help the army and away from the frontline.

Mohammed Sufiyan, a native of Narayanapet district in Telangana, who was earning about 1,500 Dirhams (an equivalent of approximately US $408 or Rs.33,000) monthly in Dubai, was lured by agents who offered him US $3600 as salary. He along with other three colleagues from neighbouring Karnataka, who working together in Dubai, also believed the agent and went to India only to travel to Russia.

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However, upon reaching there, they were allegedly forced into fighting along with the army. Interestingly, the agents who lured the youth were also Indians.

“We have been waiting to know the whereabouts and well-being of Sufiyan,” said Abdul Azeem, the family’s neighbour in Narayanapet. He told ‘Telangana Today’ over the phone that Sufiyan was brainwashed in Dubai by the agent and hid the entire plan from the family.

While looking for employment opportunities abroad, 30-year-old Mohammed Asfan of Bazarghat in Hyderabad along with his two friends – Arbab Husain and Zahoor Ahmed – also fell into the trap of fraudulent agents and went to Russia to be stuck in a war zone. The families of stranded youth have sought assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), desperately waiting for any updates on their loved ones’ well-being. One youngster, Shaikh Mohammed Tahir, 24, a resident of Ahmedabad, Gujarat managed to return home, according to reports.

However, many others remain trapped or missing in Russia, leaving their families in a state of anguish and uncertainty.