New Delhi: As the war between Russia and Ukraine approaches its third anniversary, two districts in Uttar Pradesh are waiting to hear from its loved as many of them, who went there on promises of high-paying jobs remain missing. At least 13 individuals from Azamgarh and Mau districts travelled to Russia and, while, two of them died in the conflict. Two others who suffered injuries have returned. Eight remain missing. Agents from Azamgarh and Mau districts have allegedly lured these unsuspecting individuals into the conflict.
According to reports, Kanhaiya Yadav from Azamgarh and Shyamsundar and Sunil Yadav from Mau have been killed in the conflict, while, Rakesh Yadav from Azamgarh and Brijesh Yadav from Mau returned home injured. Moreover, Vinod Yadav, Jogendra Yadav, Arvind Yadav, Ramchandra, Azharuddin Khan, Humeswar Prasad, Deepak, and Dhirendra Kumar remain untraceable.
Lured by local agent over high-paying jobs
Jogendra Yadav from Azamgarh’ Khujapur Madhopatti village went missing after being lured by an agent. The agent was identified as Vinod Yadav. Jogendra last contacted his family in May 2024, informing them about an injury sustained on May 9. Despite multiple efforts his whereabouts remain unknown. The family even contacted the Indian Embassy there, but still there was no reports about him.
Similarly, Azharuddin Khan from Gulami Ka Poora in Mau was also duped by the same agent. Azharuddin was promised a lucrative salary of Rs 2 lakh per month for a security guard position. Trusting the offer, Azharuddin left for Russia in January 2024. Initially, he stayed in touch with his family, but soon after being deployed to the battlefield, there was no news of him.
12 Indians killed while serving in the Russian military
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has last week confirmed that 12 Indians have died while serving in the Russian military, with another 16 listed as missing. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a statement, said: “Out of the 126 known cases of Indian nationals serving in the Russian armed forces, 96 individuals have already returned. They have been discharged from the Russian armed forces. Of the remaining 18 Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, the whereabouts of 16 individuals are currently not known.”
In August 2024, the Russian embassy had announced that the country had ceased recruiting foreign nationals into its military services and the country has officially categorised these 16 Indian nationals as “missing”.
