Families of Jammu youth duped into Russian Army fear for safety
Jammu: Deep anxiety grips families in Jammu region of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir after three local youth, allegedly tricked into joining the Russian Army under false promises of lucrative employment, remain untraceable weeks after being deployed to frontline positions near the Ukraine border.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the missing youth — Sachin Khajuria of Pahariwala, Khour; Atul from Bawe Tallab, Mishriwala; and Sumit Sharma from Kanachak — along with 13 Indian nationals reportedly lured by an agent named Anastiya with offers of jobs in bunker construction as youth unemployment is high in India. The recruits were were sent to war zones.
Family members said communication with the youths stopped abruptly earlier this month, with one of the last messages on October 5 indicating that they had been separated and deployed to different posts. “We only want to hear our boys’ voices again,” said Koushal Khajuria, brother of the missing Sachin.
Local MP Jugal Kishore Sharma and MLA Satish Sharma confirmed that they had raised the issue with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and contacted authorities in Moscow but admitted that no fresh update had been received.
The families have asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and IIOJK LG Manoj Sinha to intervene urgently for the youths’ safe return.
The incident has once again raised questions about human trafficking networks and official indifference toward Indian citizens trapped in foreign conflict zones.
