Kin of youths stuck in Russia to hold dharna in Delhi tomorrow

Demanding the safe repatriation of 13 youths stuck in the Russia war zone, their families will hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on November 3. One of the youths, Sonu from Madanheri village in Hisar district, was killed in the war and his body was brought back on October 29.

Among the 13 youths, five belong to Haryana, including Sonu. Five others are from Rajasthan, two from Jammu and one from Punjab.

The youths from Haryana have been identified as Aman from Madanheri (Hisar); Vijay Singh and Ankit from Kumharia village (Fatehabad); Sandeep from Taimurpur village (Rohtak); and Anoop Kumar from Chhattar village (Jind).

On October 23, the families wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, stating that the youths had gone to Russia on study visa in 2024, but they were lured to join the Russian army and sent to the war zone. “It has recently come to our knowledge that all these boys have been misled and sent to the ongoing war zone by certain agents, placing their lives in extreme danger,” they wrote in the letter.

They stated that the youths had gone to Russia to pursue education on valid study visas. However, after reaching Russia, they were "deceitfully" taken by certain agents and "compelled into war training and deployment under coercion”, they said, adding that they had lost all direct contact with them and were worried about their safety.

Stating that the stranded youths were innocent students and not soldiers, they urged the External Affairs Ministry to take up the matter with the Indian Embassy in Moscow, and the Russian authorities to locate them and ensure their safe return.

Aman's brother Anil said they were able to contact him on October 3. “There has been no contact since. We have been urging the authorities to get some information about their wellbeing, but there has been no news so far,” he said.

Anil claimed that they had got information that over 20 more youths were stuck in the war zone.