Indians continue to be dragged into Ukraine war

DESPERATE Indians keep making a beeline for a Russian visa despite the obvious perils of studying or working in a war zone. Two Indian men have alleged that they were lured to Russia with the offer of jobs in the construction sector and then forcibly recruited into the Russian army. Currently stranded in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, they have claimed that at least 13 other Indians are trapped in similar circumstances. Their ordeal has prompted India to urge its nationals to stay away from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This is not the first such advisory to be issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in the past two-three years, but none of them seems to have made much impact. This shows that unscrupulous travel agents are still actively involved in sending Indians to Russia through fraudulent means. It also reflects poorly on the coordination between New Delhi and Moscow over this malpractice that endangers the lives of Indian citizens.