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 ‘Indians Go Back’: Kashmiri man recounts harrowing experience in Russia-Ukraine war.
Azad, who had gone to Russia seeking job opportunities after being lured by the YouTube channel "Baba Vlogs," found himself instead enlisted into the Russian military.

A Russian commander’s brief order, “Indians go back,” marked the end of a life-threatening ordeal for Azad Yousuf Kumar, a youth from South Kashmir’s Awantipora. Trapped in the Russia-Ukraine war, Azad endured near-death experiences, including being shot during combat training, before receiving the unexpected news of his freedom.

Azad, who had gone to Russia seeking job opportunities after being lured by the YouTube channel “Baba Vlogs,” found himself instead enlisted into the Russian military. Promised a brighter future with salaries ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 1 lakh, Azad paid Rs 1.3 lakh in fees and left India in December 2022, only to be handed over to the Russian army upon arrival.

After surviving the warzone for over a year, his ordeal took a dramatic turn when a Russian commander informed the Indian recruits that their contracts were being cancelled following discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I think it was PM Modi’s Russia visit that helped me return home safely,” Azad said, expressing gratitude for the prime minister’s intervention.

Azad’s ordeal included being wounded in the foot during frontline combat training and witnessing the deaths of fellow Indian recruits, including his close friend. After spending 18 days in the hospital, he narrowly escaped death and eventually made it back to his family, where he reunited with his newborn son.

Azad’s story highlights the dangers of overseas job scams and the perils faced by those misled into military service. Modi’s informal talks with Putin, which secured the release of Indian nationals trapped in Russia’s war efforts, ultimately paved the way for Azad’s safe return. Now back home, Azad hopes to rebuild his life and warns others to be cautious when seeking job opportunities abroad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his informal talks with Vladimir Putin over dinner at the Russian leader’s dacha or country home in July, had raised the issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who were misled into the service of the Russian Army.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra later said the Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian Army.

In June, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the issue of Indian nationals serving with the Russian Army remains a matter of “utmost concern” and demanded action from Moscow over it.

On June 11, India said two Indian nationals, who were recruited by the Russian Army, had recently been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which took the number of such deaths to four.

Following the deaths of two Indians, the MEA demanded a “verified stop” to further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian Army.

In a strongly-worded statement, it said India demanded that there be a “verified stop to any further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian Army and that such activities would not be in “consonance with our partnership.” In March this year, 30-year-old Hyderabad resident Mohammed Asfan succumbed to injuries sustained while serving with Russian troops on the frontlines with Ukraine.

In February, Hemal Ashwinbhai Mangua, a 23-year-old resident of Surat in Gujarat, died in a Ukrainian air strike while serving as a “security helper” in the Donetsk region.