Khushi Maheshwari, Pune
Whether you call it fraud or South Asian misfortune, with history as a witness, it is not the first time that Indians have had to fight in wars that are not theirs. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict sets foot into its third year, fearful and anguished families approached the central government to provide aid for their members who have been deceived into fighting a war that they should have no part in.
It resembles the tumultuous pre-independence times when the British made Indian troops fight in both world wars. However, this time, it wasn’t hefty and atrocious colonisers that prompted us to join their fight; instead, it was a travel influencer/YouTuber by the name of Faisal Khan, popularly known as BaBas Vlogs, who deceived almost a dozen Indian nationals into going to Russia.
A total of nine men- including two from Telangana, three from Karnataka, one from Gujarat, two from Kashmir, and lastly, one from Uttar Pradesh- were fraudulently made to enlist in the Russia-Ukraine war, allegedly after hearing Faisal Khan’s vlogs wherein he talked about the availability of helper jobs in Russia.
These men were made to sign agreements for helper job roles, but in reality, they were signing consent forms to join the Russian military and to enrol in training for the same.
Some of the afflicted family members sought help from AIMIM (All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen) leader Asaduddin Owaisi. In the month of December, Owaisi wrote letters to the minister of external affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, and also to the Indian Ambassador in Russia, bringing this issue to the forefront and seeking resolutions.
Recently, the family of Sufiyan (one of the duped men), along with Owaisi, requested interjection by the central government. The centre has taken note of the issue and has claimed that they are “aware” of the situation. The centre also assured that the government has been liaising with its Russian equivalent.
Commenting on the entire situation, External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We are aware that a few Indian nationals have signed up for support jobs with the Russian army. The Indian Embassy has regularly taken up this matter with the relevant Russian authorities for their early discharge. We urge all Indian nationals to exercise due caution and stay away from this conflict.”