Stolen dreams, silent battle: Indians forced into Ukraine-Russian war missing since 15 months

It has been 15 long months—15 months of unanswered questions, sleepless nights, and fading hope. For more than a dozen Indian families, the pain of waiting has turned into a relentless quest for truth—about the sons, brothers, and husbands who vanished into a war not their own.

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Under the harsh summer sun at Delhi’s iconic protest site -- Jantar Mantar, a group of anguished families stood on Wednesday. Holding placards and photographs of their loved ones, they demanded answers. Their eyes told a story that official records do not—a story of heartbreak of not knowing. The families believe their men were forced to fight in Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine.

"We are not asking for the moon. We just want to know if our children are dead or alive," said Jagdeep Kumar, his voice cracking with emotion. His younger brother, Mandeep Kumar, has been missing since March 2024.

The families claim the missing men were lured by unscrupulous agents who promised lucrative jobs in Europe. What awaited them instead was coercion and combat in foreign conflict thousands of miles from home.

"We request you with folded hands to give information about the missing persons in the Russian Army. If no action is taken, we will be forced to protest twice a month," read a letter the group has written to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Some of the family members even made the journey to Russia, hoping to find their loved ones or at least some support from the Indian Embassy in Moscow.

"Those who went sought help from every nook and corner, but no one came forward, not even the Indian Embassy in Russia,” one mother whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I gave everything I had to bring my brother back. But I failed,” said Jagdeep, who alleged he was duped by agents on the pretext of sending four people, including his brother from Armenia to Italy via Russia, Finland and Germany. Three among them sensed something was wrong and returned home, suspecting the so-called ‘donkey route’—a notorious path used for illegal migration.

"My brother was still abroad and in the meantime I got threatening videos from agents who could be seen thrashing my brother Mandeep and subsequently demanded more money," Kumar said, adding they then lodged a police complaint against the alleged agents. Though an FIR was registered in Punjab and a few agents arrested, the larger network remains active, and justice, elusive.

What makes their grief more unbearable is the silence. Jagdeep last spoke to his brother on March 3 last year. "He was scared. He told me they’d forced him into Russian Army and he has begun training near the Ukrainian border," he recalled. Then the phone calls stopped.

The protestors have now sought official permission to return to Russia, this time with a signed letter from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, asking Indian diplomats to actively assist them.

“Each passing day feels like a death sentence. We will not stop until we get answers,” said another protestor quietly, clutching her son’s photograph.