00:00 In a distressing plea for help, a group of young men from Punjab and Haryana has come
00:09 forward claiming they were deceived into military service in Russia and coerced into fighting
00:14 in Moscow's war on Ukraine.
00:17 In a video circulating on social media, these men are seen clad in military attire, standing
00:23 in a cramped and dilapidated room, expressing their dire situation.
00:28 Harsh, hailing from Haryana's Karnal, recounts their ordeal, revealing how they were lured
00:34 into Belarus without proper visas and subsequently abandoned by an agent.
00:40 Harsh's family shares the anguish of his predicament, narrating how he was ensnared into military
00:46 training after being threatened by Russian authorities.
00:50 Gurpreet Singh's family echoes similar sentiments, emphasising the coercion faced by these young
00:55 men to join the Russian army or face imprisonment.
00:58 Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has been implicated in facilitating their requirement,
01:05 raising concerns about its role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
01:10 With reports emerging of Indians facing similar distressing situations, the government pledges
01:15 to work towards their safe return, urging all citizens to steer clear of the conflict
01:21 zone.
01:22 As the plight of these young men unfolds, their desperate appeal reverberates, calling
01:27 for immediate intervention to ensure their safe return home.
01:32 "We came to Russia to visit our friends in the 90s.
01:36 We met an agent who took us around Russia.
01:39 He told us that he would take us to Belarus.
01:42 He took us to Belarus.
01:44 We didn't know that we needed visas there.
01:47 He took us there and started asking for money.
01:50 We gave him the money he had asked for.
01:53 He asked for more money.
01:55 We didn't have any money.
01:57 He dropped us off on the Belarusian highway.
02:01 The police caught us and handed us over to the Russian army.
02:05 The Russian army kept us there for three to four days.
02:09 A person who spoke our language came to us and asked us to talk on the phone.
02:14 They put a head on us and said, 'Either you all face 10 years in prison or you can sign
02:20 a contract with us, in which you will get a job as a helper.
02:24 You will get a job as a cook or a driver.
02:28 You can sign a contract with us.'
02:31 We signed the contract.
02:33 It was in their language.
02:35 We didn't know what was written in it.
02:38 They put us in a training centre.
02:41 We found out that we were being deceived.
02:44 They put us in the army.
02:46 We were trained there.
02:48 After training, we were sent to Ukraine.
02:51 Our friends were sent to the front line.
02:55 We had other friends with us.
02:57 We are seven people.
02:59 They told us that we will be sent to the front line in a day or two.
03:03 We are not ready for war.
03:05 We don't know how to hold a gun properly.
03:08 They want to send us to the front line.
03:11 We have a message from India and the Indian government.
03:15 We want to tell everyone...
03:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments