March 11, 2024

Russia Tricks Foreigners into Fighting in Ukraine, Again


Russia Tricks Foreigners into Fighting in Ukraine, Again
Man waving an Indian flag. Sharmaprakharr, Wikimedia Commons.

The Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently stated that it had uncovered a human trafficking network that was tricking young Indian men into coming to Russia, only to be forced to fight in Ukraine. Authorities confirmed 35 men were victims of the scheme.

The CBI found travel agencies offering lucrative jobs, visa extensions, and admission into unknown private universities in Russia. Authorities raided 15 locations in 7 cities across India and confiscated 5 million rupees ($60,000) in cash, documents, and electronic devices. These organizations' main targets were young Indian men, especially students, whom were contacted via social media. Once the men arrived in Russia, their passports were confiscated. Then they were sent to military training against their will.

In February, New Delhi asked Moscow to allow its citizens who signed up to do auxiliary work in the Russian Army to be discharged early. The Indian Foreign Minister urged the public to "exercise due caution and stay away from [the war in Ukraine]." However, on March 7, Reuters confirmed that two Indian citizens, Mohammed Asfan and Hemil Mangukiya, who were fighting in Ukraine against their will, were killed. Both men were convinced to come to Russia by YouTube videos promising jobs and permanent residencies.

This is not the first time foreigners have been promised jobs and instead were forced to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine. In September 2023, 17 people were arrested in Cuba after two 19-year-olds revealed they were trafficked to the frontline. In January, Nepal stopped issuing work permits for Russia after 10 men were killed in Ukraine, after being recruited through similar tactics. Similar efforts to lure and enlist men were uncovered in Syria and Kazakhstan. Male migrants in Russia have been forced to sign contracts with the army to receive citizenship.

The Indian Embassy in Russia said the mission would make efforts to return Mohammed Asfan's body home. Hemil Mangukiya's father told Reuters: "We are still waiting for his body to arrive so we can conduct his last rites."

You Might Also Like

Migrant Flow Slows to Trickle
  • February 25, 2024

Migrant Flow Slows to Trickle

Immigration into Russia from Central Asian countries has slowed since the start of Russia's War on Ukraine.
Russia Faces Banana Deficit
  • February 20, 2024

Russia Faces Banana Deficit

A pro-Ukrainian arms exchange between Ecuador and the United States has led to a steep decrease in banana imports to Russia.
Mosque Raid Leads to Star's Enlistment
  • October 24, 2023

Mosque Raid Leads to Star's Enlistment

The Russian National Guard raided a mosque, forcing worshipers to enlist in the army. A finalist in a musical reality show was among the draftees.
There Is Only Death There
  • September 28, 2023

There Is Only Death There

New statistics reveal that one in five mobilized Russians did not survive even two months in the Russian war in Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955