PHAGWARA: Indian youths who went abroad to earn a livelihood and later joined the Russian army have suffered a tragic fate, with 10 confirmed dead. Among these, three were from Punjab. The young men who lost their lives while fighting in the Russian army against Ukraine include three Punjabis. The other seven were from Uttar Pradesh and Jammu. To search for these youths, Jagdeep Singh, an Indian youth who had gone to Russia, searched in Moscow and other places for the Indians who had joined the Russian army but could not find any trace of them.
Returning to India, Jagdeep Kumar presented all the documents to Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal’s office, which confirmed the deaths of these young men as per the Russian army. Shockingly, the parents of these deceased youths had been waiting for their children to return safely, but they only received the news after a long time that their sons had been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
According to Jagdeep, the 10 Indians confirmed dead in the Russian army include Tejpal Singh from Amritsar, Arvind Kumar from Lucknow, Dhirendra Kumar from UP, Vinod Yadav, Yogendra Yadav, and five others. The four missing Indians are Deepak, Yogeshwar Prashad, Azharuddin Khan, and Ram Chandra.
Jagdeep revealed that he first met Sant Seechewal on June 29, 2024, during which he submitted a petition for the safe return of his brother Mandeep and other Indian youths trapped in the Russian army. Following this, Sant Seechewal met with the Foreign Minister and wrote a letter requesting the safe return of the Indian soldiers from the Russian army. Jagdeep mentioned that Sant Seechewal has been helping the affected families from the very beginning. Thanks to his efforts, many Indian youths have safely returned to their families.
Jagdeep explained that when he could not find any information about his brother Mandeep, he decided to travel to Russia. Sant Seechewal helped by arranging tickets for him and also provided him with a letter so that he wouldn’t face any issues in Russia.
Jagdeep mentioned that he has visited Russia twice. During his first trip, he stayed for 21 days, searching for the trapped Indian and especially Punjabi youths. However, he faced many difficulties due to the language barrier. On his second trip, he stayed for two months and gathered substantial information.