‘I could die any moment’: Indians forced to fight for Russia in Ukraine say they feel abandoned by Delhi
“I want to see the clear blue sky that is not raining drones and missiles if I make it out of Russia alive,” says Hardeep Gill*, a 24-year-old Indian man caught in the middle of the first major European conflict since World War 2, fighting for a country that isn’t his own.
Gill, from a city in Punjab, is one of nearly 100 Indian nationals who have found themselves fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, many of them ensnared by human traffickers tasked with recruiting foreign fighters to bolster the ranks of Vladimir Putin’s army.
Gill speaks to The Independent from a frontline location in southern Ukraine, speaking in Hindi via WhatsApp voice notes for fear of being caught by his Russian superiors.
“I could die any moment. I am in a dangerous place where we are being attacked by drones constantly,” Gill says.
Like many in India’s Punjab state, Gill grew up with dreams of settling abroad and wanted to pursue further studies in the UK. After he was denied a visa, he claims he left for Russia in mid-December on a tourist visa for the sake of getting a foreign stamp in his passport, hoping that travel experience would bolster his chances of securing a trip to the UK in the future.
His plans unravelled, he says, when a taxi driver in Russia overcharged him, robbed him of his money and belongings, and left him stranded. With no support system and no knowledge of the language, he wandered the streets, before the police picked him up and handed him over to recruiters who inducted him into the Russian army.
Now, Gill finds himself on the frontline, digging trenches and assisting soldiers in a war that is not his own.
“I am unable to recall and think clearly about what happened before I came here, how my life was and what I was doing. My mind is clouded due to the sound of constant blasts,” he says.
“All I want right now is to return home and meet my parents, my family. But that’s a distant dream now as my seniors here tell me they have received no orders to release me from duty.”
Gill’s situation is dire, and he is not the only Indian feeling abandoned on the frontlines in Ukraine. India’s foreign ministry has identified 91 citizens recruited in the Russian army thus far, eight of whom have been killed.
There was widespread positive media coverage in India of a July visit by prime minister Narendra Modi to Moscow, suggesting he had secured a pledge from Vladimir Putin to discharge all Indians fighting in Ukraine.
Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state for external affairs, later told parliament that 12 Indians have already left the Russian armed forces while 63 are seeking early discharge.
Yet the ministry has not disclosed the names of any of those who have supposedly returned alive, and Gill claims not a single Indian recruit has actually been discharged by Russia. “No one has returned from Russia yet, not alive. These are rumours and false news. I take updates from my commanders almost every day about the orders from higher up for my release, but all they tell me is they cannot release me until they receive the orders,” he says.
The Independent has approached the Indian foreign ministry for comment.
The reality of Gill’s day-to-day life is bleak. He is at the frontline for 14 to 15 days at a time, digging trenches and providing support for soldiers.
He returns to the base for just two days of rest before being deployed again.
“I will be deployed again tonight and I don’t know if I will return. I might be talking to you for the last time,” he says.
Food is scarce and Gill has not had a proper meal in days, surviving on little more than bread. Sustained attacks from the Ukrainians make every moment a fight for survival.
“The Ukrainian side is attacking constantly. It is a dangerous situation. I can’t tell you what all I have seen during my days here. It is horrific. People are dying and the fear of death is everywhere,” he says.
