NEW DELHI, Dec 29 — Ten Indians who had gone abroad to earn a livelihood and later joined the Russian army have been confirmed dead, while four others remain missing, according to relatives and officials. Three of the deceased were from Punjab, and the remaining seven were from Uttar Pradesh and Jammu.
Jagdeep Singh, who traveled to Russia to search for his brother Mandeep and other Indian youths, said he could not locate any trace of them. “I presented all the documents to Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal’s office, which confirmed the deaths as per Russian army records,” he said.
The deceased include Tejpal Singh from Amritsar, Arvind Kumar from Lucknow, Dhirendra Kumar from UP, Vinod Yadav, Yogendra Yadav, and five others. The four missing Indians are Deepak, Yogeshwar Prashad, Azharuddin Khan, and Ram Chandra.
Jagdeep said he first met Seechewal on June 29, 2024, submitting a petition for the safe return of his brother and others trapped in Russia. “Seechewal has been helping affected families and even assisted me with tickets and letters for my trips to Russia,” he added. Jagdeep visited Russia twice—first for 21 days and then for two months—gathering substantial information.
Seechewal appealed to the Indian government to halt recruitment of Indian youths in the Russian army and requested that the bodies of the deceased be sent home so families can perform traditional rites. He also urged strict action against travel agents deceiving young Indians.
