‘Get them home, they have no training in war’: Families of men caught in Russia

According to the family, Ravneet told them there are seven young men from Punjab stuck in Russia along with him.

“They were deceived and are now being sent to fight against Ukraine,” alleged Navdeep Kaur, his sister.

“Ravneet had spent Rs 11 lakh and secured a tourist visa to Russia. They were promised a handsome job. However, an agent took them to Belarus without securing a visa for that country, and they were arrested and handed over to Russian soldiers,” she said.

“They forcibly recruited my brother and other youth into the Russian army. We appeal to the central and state governments to bring him back,” she said.

His mother Kulwant Kaur said theirs is a poor family and had sent him abroad by taking a loan.

“The agent had promised to send him to a good country for work. But just a few days ago, we received a call from my son that he had been forcibly recruited,” she said.

The family demanded that the Ministry of External Affairs must intervene.

In the video, another youth named Gagandeep Singh also describes his ordeal. According to him, he went to Russia with his companions to celebrate New Year on December 27. He had taken a 90-day visa. An agent offered to take them to Belarus, but they were not told they needed a fresh visa for that country. He said they were caught at the border and handed over to Russian officials, who made them sign documents in their language and forced them into the war. They were also given 15 days of military training.

The family of 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district is shell-shocked after a group of seven men, including Gurpreet, released a video claiming they are being forced by Russia to fight the Ukraine war against their will. They said Gurpreet, who hails from the Hartha village, went to Russia on a tourist visa on December 22 for a 16-day tour to explore the country.

Amrik Singh, younger brother of Gurpreet, said, “He had gone to Serbia last year. Ahead of this New Year, he went to Russia on a tourist visa on December 22, but on December 27, he and a few other Punjabi boys got caught in Belarus.”

“According to Gurpreet, he and a few other youths whom he met in Russia had gone to roam around, and the taxi driver took them to Belarus, where he asked for 200 extra dollars. They did not have that much money, so the driver dropped them on the highway and ran away. The Belarus Police caught them and handed them over to the Russian Army.”

Narinder Singh, his cousin, said, “The Russian Army told them to either spend 10 years in jail or work as helpers with them for one year…so they agreed to work for one year with them. However, now they are telling us that they were sent to some training camps and now and to Ukraine in the war zone, from where they can be sent to the frontline anytime. They have no training to do war. So, we appeal to the Government of India to help them out.”

When asked why the family had not complained earlier, Amrik said, “They were telling us that they were working as helpers in the Army. So, we thought it was a safe thing to do, but they can’t be sent to the frontline as a few Indians have already been sent.”

Gurpreet’s father, Roop Lal, is in Muscat working for a company there. His mother is a homemaker. Amrik said, “We are a poor family. I work in a factory in Hoshiarpur. Gurpreet also worked in a factory but went to Russia to explore the area. However, he also dreamed of going to a foreign land and hence visited Russia but had no idea that they needed separate visas for Belarus.

Gurpreet had a diploma in computer applications from Hoshiarpur, and settling in a foreign land was his ultimate goal, but he never knew that he would be stuck like this in a war zone, said his brother. Gagandeep Singh, another Punjab man who was along with Gurpreet, made the video seeking help while six others are seen standing in that room in the background.

Amrik said, “They sent us the video. Gagandeep is speaking in that video. He said that he is from Gurdaspur, but we don’t know anyone’s families as they all met in Russia only.”

Amrik said, “After being caught, they were given 15 days of training in a camp. They were told to work as helpers like cooks, and basic training was a must, but they had no idea they would be asked to be frontline soldiers.”

Another youth in the video, also named Gurpreet Singh, is from the Dakala village of Patiala district. Villagers of Dakala are, however, unaware of the viral video as officiating sarpanch Balwinder Singh said,”Gurpreet has gone to Russia, but we don’t know if he is in some danger. His mother was very happy and even distributed laddoos that her son got recruited in Russian army.. Don’t know anything about this mystery video.”

He said, “A relative of Gurpreet, who is a travel agent, had sent him to Russia. His mother had even shown pictures of his son wearing a Russian Army uniform, saying that her son was in the Army now. Gurpreet’s father, Naib Singh, is a smalltime farmer with about 2 acres of land. Family members claimed that their son was having no issues and was alright, though they confirmed that he was in the Russian Army. It seems that they are unaware of the problem.”

Another youth in the video, Lovepreet Singh, 23, is from Hoshiarpur. However, his family has not yet approached anyone for help. The same is true for Gagandeep’s family, who is stated to be from Gurdaspur. However, the district administration has not received any complaints from his family.

Narian Singh, 21, of SBS Nagar, is yet another Punjab youth stated to be stuck in a warzone, but even in his case, the family has not sought help until now. Komal Mittal, deputy commissioner, Hoshiarpur, said,” I am hearing it from the media only, but no one has approached us for help. However, we will find out the details and will try to reach out to the families.”