Save us before it’s too late, plead Indians trapped in Ukraine warzone

“Please save us… we have just a day or two left. After that, they’ll send us to war.” The desperate cry came from 23-year-old Ankit Jangra and 25-year-old Vijay Poonia, two youths from Kumharia village in Fatehabad district, now stranded in Russian-controlled Ukraine. What began as a pursuit of education abroad has turned into a harrowing ordeal of survival on a battlefield far from home.

Both Ankit and Vijay had gone to Russia on student visas to study the Russian language. Ankit, who enrolled in a Moscow college earlier this year while working part-time at a KFC outlet, said everything changed when he accepted a driving job offered by a local woman.

Speaking to ‘The Tribune’ over a WhatsApp call from Selydove — a war-torn region 200-300 km from Russia that was captured by Moscow’s forces last year — Ankit revealed that he and 12 other Indian youths are now trapped under Russian military control.

The group, aged between 20 and 27, includes three men from Punjab, three from J&K, two from Uttar Pradesh, three from Haryana and two from Rajasthan. At least seven of them had originally travelled on study visas.

Ankit recounted how they were promised lucrative contracts — Rs 20 lakh after 15 days of training and monthly salaries of Rs 1.5-2 lakh — to join the Russian Army. But once taken to a military camp, they were never allowed to return.

“When we ask to go back, Russian officers point guns at us and say: ‘You’ll either die here or kill the enemy. There’s no going back.’”

The youths say they survive on bread and jam in harsh, inhumane conditions. Non-vegetarian food is often supplied, but many cannot eat it. The most terrifying part, Ankit added, is that five Indians from their group are already dead, while others have gone missing and feared killed.

“We don’t know whose turn is next. We appeal to other Indian youths not to fall for fake promises of jobs or studies in Russia,” Ankit pleaded.

Their phone use is tightly monitored. They are allowed only a few minutes to call home and are warned not to reveal their plight — facing confiscation of phones at gunpoint if caught.

Back in Kumharia, anxiety has gripped families. Relatives of Ankit and Vijay have approached local officials, including Deputy Commissioner Dr Vivek Bharti, MP Ramchandra Jangra and former MP Sunita Duggal, urging immediate intervention.

“These boys went abroad to study, not to fight someone else’s war. The government must bring them back safely now,” said a family member.

The trapped youths claim they have already informed the Indian Embassy, but no help has yet arrived. Their urgent plea is now with the Ministry of External Affairs: rescue them before it is too late.