Indian killed while fighting on Russia-Ukraine war frontlines, had been making desperate pleas to be brought back home

Saneesh, a relative of the two men, said, “Binil’s wife Joicy, who has been in touch with the Indian Embassy in Moscow, got the information. When she called officials, they verbally confirmed that Binil had died. The officials said they had information in this regard from the Russian Army.”

Ajith Kolassery, chief executive officer of NORKA ROOTS, the state government agency for non-resident Keralites’ affairs, said, “We have heard about the incident. We are awaiting a final confirmation from the External Affairs Ministry. For the last couple of months, we had been trying to bring them back. We don’t know exactly how many from Kerala are still trapped in the Russian army. We come to know about the incident only when such people make distress calls.”

For the last few months, Binil and Jain T K had been desperately trying to get home. Early last month, in a series of voice messages to The Indian Express, Binil had stated they had been unsuccessfully knocking on the doors of the Indian embassy in Moscow since September in an attempt to get back home. In the last message, Binil said they are forced to move to the frontline of the war, which can further endanger their life.

“Mentally and physically, we are exhausted,” Binil, who worked as an electrician back home, said in his message. “We are now in difficult terrain in the Russia-occupied territory of Ukraine. Our commander says that the contract was for a year. We have been pleading with local commanders for our release. The Indian Embassy is of the view that unless the Russian army relieves us, they cannot help. The Embassy says we should be taken back to Russian territory,’’ he said.

This is the second death of a Keralite while fighting for the Russian army after being recruited from India under the guise of jobs as military support staff. In August last year, Sandeep, a native of Thrissur, was killed in a drone attack.

Binil and Jain were among the several Indian youths who had travelled to Russia in April in the hopes of being employed in the country’s military support service as electricians, cooks, plumbers and drivers. Instead, they were made to give up their Indian passports, take permanent residence, get conscripted into the Russian army and work on the frontlines of the war.