Four Nepali men have appealed to the Indian government to rescue them from Russia, saying they were fraudulently sent to the country to work as helpers in the army, but were instead forced to fight in the ongoing war against Ukraine.
In a video sent to India Today, the men can be seen huddled in a hut in the bitter cold, while one of them is pleading to the Indian government to rescue them.
The four have been identified as Sanjay, Ram, Kumar and Santosh.
“We have been deployed in the Russian Army, and we have come from Nepal. The agent sent us here (Russia) by lying to us, and now we are facing a lot of difficulties. We were told that we have to work as helpers in the Russian Army, but now we have to fight in the war,” one of the men can be heard as saying in the video.
He also claimed that there were many Indian nationals with them earlier but were evacuated by the New Delhi government. “But we are not being heard by the Embassy of Nepal (in Moscow). Nepal is not helping us. We want to seek help from our neighbouring country, India.”
“We have great hope that India will help us and will not let us down. Nepal and India have a very strong relationship. Nothing is happening from our side, but your country and your embassy are very powerful. All of us want to go back because we have been cheated here.
“There were 30 of us, but now only five are left. Some people have been sent to different places while some people have suffered serious injuries. Help us to get out of here,” the man said.
The latest development came amid reports of Indian men being sent to Russia with the promise of a job in the country but were instead being forced to fight in the war.
Last week, a video surfaced on social media showing seven Indian men, who said they were forced to fight against Ukraine after being arrested by the Russian army.
In the video, one of the men claims that they were also forced to sign an agreement and offered to work as cook and drivers. He appealed to the government to rescue them.
Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man from Telangana, identified as Mohammed Asfan, was killed in the war in Russia after he also fell prey to a job fraud.
Afsan’s family sought help from AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in bringing him back from Russia.
But then part officials contacted the Indian Embassy in Moscow, the authorities confirmed that Asfan had died.
He is the second Indian fatality in the Russia-Ukraine war after 23-year-old resident of Gujarat, Hemal Ashwinbhai Mangukiya was killed in an airstrike in Ukraine’s Donetsk region last month.