The family of a Kashmiri youth, Azad Yusuf Kumar from Posha One Awantipora, is distressed as he is ensnared in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The incident comes to the fore days after another Kashmiri youth Zahoor Ahmed, a resident of north Kashmir was reported to be missing from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Azad’s harrowing journey began when he stumbled upon a YouTube channel named “Baba Vlogs” operated by a consultant named Faisal Khan, based in Dubai.
Faisal enticed Azad with job opportunities in cooking and cleaning, which seemed to align with his skills, his family said.
Azad embarked on a journey from Mumbai to Sharjah, where he was provided tickets to Moscow, Russia, by the said consultant.
Upon reaching Russia, Azad and his companions were coerced into signing agreements written in Russian, despite their lack of understanding of the language and requests for assistance.
Subsequently, they were handed over to the Russian Army, subjected to a 15-day training regimen, and then deployed to the Ukraine border.
Azad’s family is devastated by this deceit and is fervently appealing for his safe return. “Despite sustaining injuries, he remains stranded on the border, intermittently reaching out to his family via his IMO number,” the family said.
In response to these alarming developments, the Government of India (GoI) has advised its citizens to exercise caution and refrain from involvement in the conflict.
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that the Indian Embassy has been actively engaged in advocating for the discharge of Indian nationals who have been coerced into supporting roles with the Russian army.
Jaiswal urged all Indian nationals to exercise vigilance and avoid entanglement in the conflict.
Furthermore, recent reports have emerged of three men from Karnataka and one from Telangana allegedly being deceived into “fighting” for the Russian army in Ukraine after being promised jobs as security personnel in Russia by a recruiter.
These men are currently stranded near the war-torn Ukraine border in Russia, with Mohammed Sufiyan from Telangana appealing for assistance in a video message, detailing their plight.