Indians ‘duped’ into fighting for Russia, lured by false Dubai jobs

Several Indian citizens have ended up unwittingly being recruited as mercenaries in the Russian army, having been promised jobs in Dubai by agents, only to end up fighting in Ukraine.

According to a report yesterday by The Telegraph, at least 20 rural workers from India were lured to the UAE by the promise of landing a job in Dubai, only to end up being transferred to Russia, again on the pretext of a similar role.

Relatives of one of the men, Azad Yousuf Kumar, 31, had travelled to the UAE last December, after being promised a housekeeping job by an agent, named Faisal Khan. The agent, who is also originally from India but lives in the Middle East, regularly posts such opportunities on his YouTube channel, Baba Vlogs.

Eight #Indian youth from Gulbarga of Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Kasganj of UP and Kashmir were sent to #Russia on pretext of giving them security and helper jobs but are forced to fight war from frontline between Russia-Ukraine.

All the eight people have seeked #visa from… pic.twitter.com/t4lhIWjgZn

— Saba Khan (@ItsKhan_Saba) February 23, 2024

Kumar’s family say they were shocked to learn he was recruited in the Russian army, after months without contact.

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“He said that he stayed in Sharjah for 16 days and later they were told there were no jobs in the UAE. Instead, he would be taken to Russia to work in the kitchen,” his mother Ms Begum was quoted as saying.

“He was immediately taken to a secret military base. For two weeks he and others were taught how to use guns and throw grenades,” she said, adding that Kumar was forced to sign a contract in Russian, a language he didn’t understand.

BBC News noted earlier in the week that when the Ukraine war broke out in 2022, reports emerged of a few Indians volunteering to join the Ukrainian army, however the presence of Indians on the Russian side in combat roles has been reported for the first time.

Although Indian sources in Russia claim only dozens of Indians have joined the Russian army, a Russian defence ministry source cited by The Hindu suggests that the actual number recruited in the past year is approximately 100.

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