08 March 2024 , 16:09
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A group of friends who jetted to Russia for a New Year's Eve party claim they were tricked into joining Vladimir Putin's army.
The seven men, who are Indian citizens, made the bizarre admission in a video online. During the clip, they revealed they were tricked into joining the fight against Ukraine, with the scared pals claiming they were fooled into signing documents. In footage, which was shared by Indian outlet NDTV, the men explained that after having a good time in Russia, their travel agent persuaded them to visit Belarus, which is bordered by Russia to the north and Ukraine to the south.
But the men said the agent took off with their money and vanished before they were detained by the police when they arrived in Belarus. The friends recalled how they were handed over to Russian authorities and were forced to sign papers in Russian, with no understanding of what the words said.
Eventually, they were told that the documents meant they had vowed to fight for Vladimir Putin. The friends were left with little to no choice as they were told that a refusal could result in a 10-year prison sentence. One of the men named Sudhir, 23, spoke to the camera and stressed they have been “forced to fight in the war against Ukraine".
All of the men were given just 15 days of military training and had been deployed to a combat zone where they "can be sent to participate in hostilities at any moment." However, this isn't believed to be the first time that Indian citizens have encountered the same issue.
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According to NDTV, there are at least 20 Indians stuck in the war-torn country and have alerted the authorities for help following the huge mishap. It has been reported that a number of Indians were promised support jobs but were instead enlisted in the army. In total, around 100 were employed under contracts for at least a year in 2023.
However, some have since been released, reports The Sun. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) addressed the problem and said they have ramped up its efforts to retrieve citizens. They confirmed they have contacted Russian authorities. The Indian embassy in Moscow is said to be monitoring the situation and is holding negotiations about the release.