Several Indians still missing in Russia; families petition MEA, Russian Embassy

 Many Indian men, who were forcibly sent to the war zone on the Russia-Ukraine border after they were deceptively enlisted in the Russian Army, are still missing. This was established according to a communication from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with the family members of two missing persons, months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin.  The missing Indians include Zahoor Sheikh (27), son of Mohammad Amin Sheikh (65), a resident of Kupwara in Tangdhar in Jammu and Kashmir. He had last spoken with the family on December 31, 2023.  “He said that he was going for training and would not be available for the next three months on phone. But when we started getting news about the deaths of Indians in Russia in January, we got worried and called on his number. We could not reach him,” Mr. Sheikh said.  “We submitted a petition at the Russian Embassy. They said they are looking into the matter. The MEA officials said that at least 15 Indians are still missing and though the Russian government is cooperative, their commanders on the ground are not responsive,” Aijaz Amin (31), Zahoor’s older brother, said.  Mandeep (30), a resident of Jalandhar, Punjab, has also been missing since March.  “We last spoke on March 3. He initially went to Armenia and was supposed to go to Italy from there in search of work. Instead, he was tricked by an agent to go to Russia and was forced to join the Russian Army. He was sent to the war zone after a few days of training,” his brother Jagdeep Kumar said. Mr. Kumar met MEA officials in Delhi, who told him that at least 25 Indians were said to be missing in Russia.  On August 9, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha that 91 Indians had been recruited for the Russian Army in the past nine months, and eight of them had been killed. He said that 69 Indians await release from the Russian Army, and Mr. Modi, during his visit to Moscow in July, had raised the issue “personally” with Mr. Putin. 

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