J&K family awaits answers after son killed in Ukraine war
A day after cremating their 23-year-old son, Sachin Khajuria, killed during the Russia-Ukraine war at least six months ago, a distraught family in the Khour area of Akhnoor in the Jammu region is left searching for answers and the circumstances leading to the loss of life of their loved one.
It was on September 13, 2025, that Sachin made a last distress call from the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war, seeking help from his family members to rescue him.
Sachin had reportedly died in September last year during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, but his family was not informed about his demise for months.
As the family mounted pressure on the local politicians and the sitting Parliamentarian, the Union Government intervened and repatriated his mortal remains to India. Sachin, along with two other youths from Jammu, Sumeet Sharma of Kahnachak and Atul of Bawe Talab, Mishriwala, had travelled to Russia on student visas after being lured by an agent.
The agent, who allegedly charged hefty commission, had promised them high-paying jobs in bunker construction near the Ukraine border, with a one-time payment of Rs 20 lakh and a monthly salary of Rs 2.5 lakh.
Upon arriving in Russia, all three youngsters, with dreams of making it big in their lives, were allegedly deceived by the agent. The trio were forcibly recruited into the Russian Army, where they were deployed on front-line positions.
Banarasi Lal, father of Sachin Khajuria from Pahariwala, is left crestfallen. Surrounded by close family members and villagers, he is silently mourning the loss of his young son, who stepped out to study but returned home in a body bag. His younger son, Koushal Khajuria, demanded action against the agent who deceived the youngsters.
Koishal said out of the three Jammu youths, Atul returned home safely last month. However, the whereabouts of Sumeet Sharma remain unknown. Sachin Khajuria became the second confirmed casualty from Jammu. Earlier, in February this year, the mortal remains of another Jammu youth, Maninder Singh of Gowana in RS Pura, who had left for Russia in December 2024 on a student visa and met the same fate, were also brought back to his hometown.
Local MLA and Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma, who took up Sachin’s return with authorities in Delhi, said that the mafia is at work and luring unemployed youth to Russia. “I will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also urge Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up the matter of compensation with Russia through diplomatic channels,” he said.
