Ukraine has announced the capture of an Indian citizen who had been fighting alongside Russian troops in the ongoing war, reportedly after joining the Russian military to avoid serving a prison sentence.
The 63rd Mechanised Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces released a video on its official Telegram channel showing Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, from Morbi in Gujarat, speaking in Russian and explaining how he came to be involved in the conflict.
According to Hussein, he had travelled to Russia to study but was later convicted on drug-related charges and sentenced to seven years in prison. He claimed that Russian authorities offered him the chance to join the military under contract in exchange for avoiding imprisonment.
“I didn’t want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the special military operation,” Hussein said in the video. “But I wanted to get out of there.”
Hussein said he was sent to the frontline on 1 October, just 16 days after completing basic training. After three days of combat, he surrendered to Ukrainian troops following a dispute with his commander.
“I came across a Ukrainian trench position about two to three kilometres away,” he said. “I immediately put down my rifle and said I didn’t want to fight. I needed help. I don’t want to go back to Russia.”
Indian officials have not yet commented on the case.
The incident follows growing concern in New Delhi over reports of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian military. In September, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it had urged Moscow to release and repatriate 27 Indians serving under Russian contracts.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that multiple advisories had been issued warning citizens to avoid such “enticements” and reiterated that joining the Russian Army was “fraught with danger.”
Earlier reports suggested that at least 15 Indians were stranded in Ukraine, allegedly being forced to fight on the Russian side.
In July, India’s government told the Rajya Sabha that 127 Indian citizens were serving in Russian forces. Of these, 98 had been discharged and returned home following sustained diplomatic engagement between the two governments.
The Russian Defence Ministry reportedly stopped recruiting Indians in April 2024, according to the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, although existing contracts have delayed the release of several personnel.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War and continues to draw in foreign nationals from several countries.
