Four Telangana men allege they were duped into russian military service

Hyderabad, Sept 30: Families of four men from the erstwhile Nizamabad district have sought government help, alleging the men were deceived by agents and forced into the Russian military. The men are Bhookya Ravinder, 44, Sirshu Ashok, 44, Megavath Prakash, 40, and Mohammed Afzal Khan, 43.

According to the families, the men travelled to Russia after being promised jobs in the oil industry. ETV Bharat reports the promised work was gardening, mechanical work and manual labour. The families allege the men ended up at Russian military facilities and were forced to undergo military training. Deccan Chronicle reports that after their salaries were withheld, they were allegedly induced to join the military and deployed to the war zone after training. The men reportedly do not know their exact location. 

The families submitted a representation on Tuesday, Sept 29, through CM Pravasi Prajavani, a grievance platform for non-resident Telangana Indians. Its in-charge, Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, wrote to the Indian Embassy urging diplomatic intervention.

The case echoes earlier ones: in 2024, the MEA said it was seeking early discharge of around 20 Indians working as support staff for the Russian army.