Seven Indian citizens have recorded a video message in which they say they are being forced to participate in the war in Ukraine on the side of Russia.
The Indian Express has found out that the Indians were recruited for the war by promising them jobs in Russia with high salaries and a Russian passport. They were duped through the YouTube channel Baba Vlogs, which offered them jobs in Dubai, but in fact, on arrival in Russia, they were sent to the front.
In the video, the Indian citizens say that they arrived in Russia as tourists at the end of last December. A travel agent allegedly offered them to visit Belarus as well.
“We didn’t know we needed a visa. When we arrived in Belarus, the agent asked us for money and then disappeared,” said one of the Indian men.
In Belarus, the young men were detained by law enforcers, who handed them over to the Russian authorities. They forced the foreigners to sign some documents, after which they were sent to 15-day military courses, and then – to war.
In February, Indian authorities said they were trying to bring home about 20 of their citizens stuck in the Russian army. According to media reports, the Indian citizens were allegedly offered jobs as cleaners in Moscow, but were actually sent to fight.
