India Confronts Russia over Cases of Young Men ‘Duped’ into Fighting in Ukraine

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced on Thursday it has opened a case against a “major human trafficking network” that is luring Indian men to fight for Russia on the front lines in Ukraine.

These scam operations became a media sensation in India over the past few weeks as the families of men tricked into joining the Russian military came forward. The victims were mostly men from impoverished areas desperate for overseas employment. Some believed they were taking safe support jobs for the Russian military, only to find themselves on the battle line in Ukraine with minimal gear and training. Others thought they had applied for jobs in busy overseas markets like the United Arab Emirates, but were instead stranded in Russia and forced into military service.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said this week it was aware of about 20 cases, but CBI said at least 35 men have been lured to Russia so far and more could be revealed as family members come forward. At least two of the victims have been killed in Ukraine under uncertain circumstances and others have been “grievously injured,” according to Indian investigators.

CBI said in addition to the employment scams perpetrated through shady social media platforms, some Indian men have been lured with phony admissions to “dubious private universities” and offered “free discounted visa extensions” if they accepted. 

A number of victims’ families have said the men paid substantial amounts of money to the traffickers for travel arrangements and papers. CBI announced it has already confiscated the equivalent of over $605,000 from alleged traffickers and detained some suspects for “questioning at various locations.”

“The trafficked Indian nationals were trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their wishes,” CBI said.

On Friday, CBI said “two Russia-based agents” named “Christina” and Moinuddin Chippa are under scrutiny for trafficking Indians into the Ukraine war zone.

CBI said the suspects “allegedly confiscated the passports of Indians arriving in Russia and forced them to fight with the armed forces.” Their operation was said to use the tactics of offering both non-combat support jobs for the Russian military and university admissions to lure Indians to Russia.

The agency described Moinuddin Chippa as a resident of Rajasthan, India, who is currently “based in Russia.” The woman named Christina was described as a Russian national.

CBI raided ten locations in seven Indian cities on Thursday, expanding its investigation to four visa consulting agencies. 

One of the targeted agencies was the now-infamous Baba Vlogs Overseas Recruitment Solutions, whose director Faisal Abdul Mutalib Khan has been mentioned in numerous accounts of Indians lured overseas with enticing YouTube videos.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said on Friday it has taken up the matter with its Russian counterpart – an unusual dispute between two governments that normally prize their friendly relationship.

“Several Indian nationals have been duped to work with the Russian army. We have strongly taken up the matter with the Russian government for early discharge of such internationals. A case of human trafficking has been registered against several agents,” said Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.

Jaiswal warned Indians to “not be swayed by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian army,” as these positions can be “fraught with danger and risk to life.” He said the Foreign Ministry would work to secure the “early release of our nationals serving as support staff with the Russian army and the eventual return home.”

The Indian case is not without precedent. In January, Nepal asked Russia to return hundreds of its nationals who had been recruited to fight in Ukraine and repatriate the bodies of at least 14 of them who have been killed in combat. Five other Nepalis were reportedly held by Ukraine as prisoners of war.

Nepal said it has also asked the Russian government to compensate the families of Nepali nationals killed while fighting in Ukraine. On Thursday, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal told his legislature that diplomatic efforts to recover the recruits from Russia were still underway.

Dahal said the Russian government has been informed that recruiting citizens of Nepal to fight in Ukraine is “illegal” under Nepal’s laws. He said the Russians have agreed to pay compensation and insurance money to the families of those who were killed.

In September 2023, Cuban officials announced they would “neutralize and dismantle” a human trafficking network that was tricking Cuban nationals, including teenagers, into fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Cuba said it would launch “criminal proceedings” against those involved in the scheme.

The Cuban Communist government may have been spurred into action by Ukrainian hackers who exposed documents in September that showed at least 200 Cuban citizens were recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leak included the name of a Russian military officer who was allegedly in charge of the scheme, a Maj. Anton Valentinovich Perevozchikov, commander of Russian forces in the city of Tula.