Families of six youths allegedly trapped in the Russian army amid the Russia-Ukraine war met Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal at Sultanpur Lodhi, seeking his help to take up their cases with the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
The family members said they have not been able to communicate with their sons for the past eight to nine months.
According to the families, travel agents lured their children into joining the Russian army by promising attractive salaries, financial benefits, and other incentives. The youths were allegedly assured that ₹15 lakh would be deposited into their bank accounts and that they would receive a monthly salary of ₹2.10 lakh. Several parents said they had sent their children abroad for education and were unaware that they would eventually be deployed in a war zone.
The family of Harvinder Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran, said he had gone to Russia in 2024 on a student visa. However, agents allegedly misled him and got him recruited into the Russian army in August 2025. According to the family, they have had no contact with him since September 17 last year.
The wife of Jarnail Singh said her husband went to Russia on a student visa in December 2024. There, he was allegedly persuaded to join the military with promises of a monthly salary of ₹3 lakh and permanent residency documents. The family has had no contact with him since August 28 last year.
Another Youth Sahil Sekhri, who travelled to Moscow in 2025, had not contacted his family back in India for the past nine months.
Assuring to take up their cases with the MEA, Seechewal said it is concerning that the travel agents are exploiting unemployment and economic hardships to mislead young people into dangerous situations abroad.
