The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

As MEA says 10 Indians back from Russia war, families say name them

FAMILY MEMBERS of Indians still trapped fighting Russia’s war with Ukraine want the Ministry of External Affairs to declare the names of the 10 youths who, it says, have been brought back to India. The Indian Express spoke to families of men from Narayanpet in Telangana, Gulbarga in Karnataka, and Hoshiarpur in Punjab — none of them have returned so far, nor do the families know of anyone who has.

Mohammed Sufiyan ( 23) of Narayanpet, Mohammed Samir Ahmed ( 23), Saiyed Iliyas Hussaini ( 22), and Abdul Nayeem ( 23) of Gulbarga, and Gurpreet Singh ( 23) of Hoshiarpur are among those still caught in the war. Saiyed Salman, Sufiyan’s brother, told The Indian Express that he was relieved when he heard that some Indians had been brought back. “I heard that 10 were rescued, but it has been several days and there is no news of who they are. My brother has not returned, nor have the youths from Gulbarga. In fact, everyone is asking each other if their brother or son has returned. The MEA should officially announce the names,” he said.

From Gulbarga, Mohammed Samir Ahmed's elder brother Mustafa also spoke about the lack of clarity. “There’s so much hype about youths being rescued from

Russia, but who are they, and where are they? My brother and two others from Gulbarga are not among them,” he said.

They last spoke on Tuesday evening. “He told me there was buzz among some Indian youths that the PM was there. Apart from that, they had no other informatio­n, nor has anyone contacted them,” Mustafa said.

Sufiyan’s brother Salman said they last spoke Sunday evening. “He had no idea about the PM’S visit. He is stationed just a few kilometres from the Ukraine border. As the PM was in Russia, I called the Indian embassy in Moscow, but officials there had no clue about bringing the youths back home. It is very frustratin­g,” he said.

Gurpreet from Hoshiarpur has not returned either, his cousin Sandhu said.

Mohammed Imran, brother of Mohammed Afsan of Hyderabad, who was killed in a drone strike in March, said he is in touch with the families from Gulbarga, Hoshiarpur and Kashmir. “They all say the same thing... None of the youths we know have returned,” Imran said.

Afsan ( 30) was working as a salesman at a clothes showroom at Nampally when he came to know of a job opportunit­y in Moscow, which promised a salary of ` 45,000 per month that would gradually increase to ` 1.5 lakh a month. He was told that after working for a year, he could apply for a Russian citizenshi­p. He left for Moscow November 9 last year, but upon arrival, came to know that he had to work as a helper for Russian soldiers at the warfront. In video calls to his brother, he and other youths who had been similarly duped appealed for help to return. Afsan was killed in a drone strike near the Ukraine border in March. Another youth from Surat, Hemil Mangukiya, was killed on February 21.

The families had earlier told The Indian Express that the youths came in contact with an agent named Faisal Khan, who runs a Youtube channel, and were brainwashe­d into applying for the jobs.

Last month, the MEA had said that 10 Indian nationals working as support staff with the Russian military have been released and have returned to the country.