4 Indians duped into joining Wagner mercenaries, forced to fight Russia-Ukraine war: Report

Four Indians have alleged that they were duped into joining the Wagner Group (Representational image)

The kin of multiple Indian nationals have claimed that their family members have been duped by foreign recruiters in Russia and have been forced to join the Wagner Group, a private military company.

Mohammed Sufiyan, a 22-year-old man hailing from Telangana, along with three others from Karnataka’s Kalaburagi have sent an SOS to their families about being stranded in Russia and forced to join the army to fight the war against Ukraine, reported TOI.

Sufiyan sent a video to his family where he was seen in army fatigue and said they were a victim of recruitment fraud. He said that they were sent to Russia on December 23 by recruiters who promised them a job as security helpers, but were forced into fighting the war.

Sufiyan could be heard saying in the video, “Please save us, we are victims of a hi-tech fraud.”

How did four Indians get trapped into joining Wagner Group?

The four Indians met with recruitment agents during their visit to Dubai in 2023, where they were promised heavy salaries. They returned to India in November and were sent to Russia a month later. They boarded a flight to Russia from Chennai on a visitor’s visa.

The youth were offered a salary of over ₹2 lakh per month for working as army security helpers in Russia, reported TOI citing sources. A family member said they had given ₹3.5 lakh as a security amount to the recruiters.

The families were shocked to hear that the youth were on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war, likely hired by the Wagner Group, which is a private military company funded by the Russian government to fight the Ukraine war.

Not only these four Indian nationals, but another 60 Indians have been forcibly drafted into Russia’s private army during the Ukraine war, as per the report. The youth have reportedly been posted just 40 km from the Ukraine border, and sent a message to their families by using the mobile phone of a Russian army man.

The Indian nationals were duped into joining the Wagner Group allegedly by a man in Maharashtra who runs a YouTube channel, offering ‘security personnel/helper’ jobs in Russia.

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