Ajnala youth returns from Russia warzone, shares ordeal

A young man has returned home with haunting memories and a story that reveals the dark underside of international conflict and human exploitation.

Sarabjit Singh, who narrowly escaped death after being pushed into the Russia-Ukraine war, has shared a chilling account of survival that raises urgent questions about human rights, international trafficking and the vulnerability of migrant job seekers.

Sarabjit, who hails from a modest family, left for Russia in April 2024, hoping to find work in the courier industry. Like many others lured by promises of employment, he landed in Moscow with a group of 18 individuals. However, what awaited them was far from the job they were promised. Upon arrival, the group was detained, subjected to documentation and medical procedures, and within days, handed over for military training. After just two weeks of basic drills, they were sent directly to the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Wearing military uniforms and carrying real weapons, Sarabjit and his group was pushed into combat with minimal preparation and no understanding of the language or the geopolitics of the conflict. "We were just thrown into the war. We didn’t know where we were, who we were fighting, or why," he recounted, still visibly shaken.

Describing the horror of the war, Sarabjit revealed that they often advanced through areas littered with corpses — many of them young men from India and other countries. Basic necessities like drinking water and food were scarce. Sleep and safety were luxuries they could not afford. “There were days we walked for kilometres, unsure if we would make it to the next morning alive,” he said. The trauma grew so intense that at one point, Sarabjit considered ending his own life by pulling the pin of a hand grenade.

It was only through the intervention of Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal that Sarabjit managed to return to India. His family, overwhelmed with emotion, described his return as a second birth. “Our son came back from the jaws of death,” said his father, eyes brimming with tears.

But Sarabjit’s ordeal has not ended. Driven by a sense of duty toward those who remain missing, he is preparing to return to Russia in an attempt to trace 14 missing Indians who were last seen in military camps. Having spent over eight months across various Russian cities, Sarabjit is familiar with the terrain and believes he can help the families of the missing.

As Sarabjit begins the next leg of his journey — to help others find their way home — the need for policy reform, international cooperation, and awareness campaigns has never been more critical. His story stands as both a harrowing warning and a call to action, reminding us that behind every headline, there are lives hanging in the balance.