RUDRAPUR: A person from Udham Singh Nagar who had not too long ago travelled to Russia for increased research was allegedly coerced into becoming a member of the Russian military and despatched to the struggle entrance in Ukraine, his household mentioned, including they’ve had no contact with him since early Sept and at the moment are determined for assist. The household of Rakesh Kumar, 30, has written to the ministry of exterior affairs (MEA), sought assist from the Indian embassy in Moscow, and approached native officers in a bid to convey him again dwelling.Additionally Learn | ‘Fraught with hazard’: MEA on Indians recruited into Russian military; asks nationals to avoid ‘gives’Rakesh, a resident of Kushmoth village in Shaktifarm beneath Sitarganj tehsil, had left for Russia on Aug 7 after securing admission to St Petersburg College on a examine visa. Nevertheless, inside a number of days, he started hinting at being in a troubling scenario, suggesting issues weren’t going as deliberate.

His elder brother, Deepu Maurya, mentioned the final time they’d a direct dialog was on Aug 30, when Rakesh knowledgeable them that he had been forcibly drafted into the Russian military and would quickly be deployed to the struggle zone in Ukraine. After that decision, his telephone went unreachable. The household later acquired a photograph of Rakesh in a Russian army uniform, which solely heightened their fears and confirmed their worst suspicions. A couple of days later, Rakesh referred to as once more, this time from an unfamiliar Russian quantity. In a brief and distressed dialog, he advised them that his passport and private paperwork had been seized, his official emails had been deleted, and that he had undergone army coaching within the Donbas area earlier than being despatched to the battlefield. That was the final they heard from him.

Additionally Learn | ‘Compelled into Russian Military’, Haryana youth’s final SOS: ‘Going to struggle zone’“We don’t even know if he’s alive. We simply need the government to convey him again dwelling safely,” mentioned Deepu. The household wrote to MEA on Sept 5 and has additionally reached out to elected representatives and the native administration.This isn’t the primary such case to floor in current months. At the least 20 Indian nationals – largely from Punjab and Haryana – have claimed they had been tricked into going to Russia on the pretext of schooling or employment, solely to be coerced into becoming a member of Russian army.