Days after sending SOS, Jalandhar youth trapped in Russia says five Indians missing 

“We were made to sign a one-year contract with the Russian Army for setting up training centres with a condition to cancel it within three months if they do not like their jobs,” Harminder said in the video, where he appeared alongside eight other Indian men.

“Instead of allowing us to build the centres, they began training us. When we asked why, they said it was for our self-defence in case of drone attacks. Within 20 days, they sent us to the war front.”

According to Harminder, 19 Indians were part of the group, of whom five are now untraceable. He alleged that they are being given only basic food — “just some bread” — and are living in dire conditions at some unknown location.

“We came here to earn money, not to fight in a war,” he said, appealing once again to the Indian government for urgent intervention. “We were told we could cancel our contracts within three months if we didn’t like the work. Now only 10 days are left, but all our documents, including passports, are with them.”

This latest video follows an earlier SOS message posted by Harminder about four months after his arrival in Russia. In that video, he had said he was promised a construction job but was forced to sign a contract that enlisted him into the Russian military.

“I was promised a construction job, but upon arriving here, they forced me into the army. I am trapped in a war zone with heavy gunfire and drone attacks. Please help me before it’s too late,” he had pleaded earlier.

Harminder’s brother, Gurminder Singh, told reporters that his brother had been misled by an acquaintance who claimed that Russia had reopened for all types of work. “He was told he would get a work permit and permanent residency within a year. But once he reached there, everything changed,” Gurminder said.