126 youths recruited into Russian army to fight Ukraine, 15 missing, claims Punjab legislator

Chandigarh: Punjab legislator Pargat Singh, who is the All India Congress Committee Secretary, claimed on Thursday that at least 126 youths from India have been recruited into the Russian army to fight in the ongoing Ukraine conflict while 15 are missing.

Condemning the ongoing failure of Indian authorities to halt the forcible recruitment and deployment of scores of youths from Punjab, into the Russian Army, he told the media that despite repeated official government advisories, both the Centre and the Punjab government have exhibited alarming indifference, enabling traffickers and agents to carry out human smuggling on a grave scale.

“The continued inaction of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Moscow constitute a breach of duty and an intolerable dereliction of responsibility,” Singh said.

“As government agencies persist in issuing ineffective advisories, our youths are dying on foreign battlefields while families are left unsupported, uninformed, and denied even the dignity of adequate investigation or compensation.”

Meanwhile, the MEA issued a fresh advisory, warning citizens against such offers and describing the path as “fraught with danger”.

“We have seen reports about Indian nationals having been recruited recently into the Russian Army. The government has, on several occasions over the past year, underlined the risks and dangers inherent in this course of action and cautioned Indian citizens accordingly,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told the media in New Delhi.

However, Padma Shri Pargat Singh, brought relatives of affected youths, including Jagdeep Singh, whose brother died in Ukraine war fighting for Russia, and presented evidence of systemic failure, said in July 15 that Punjabi youths were taken to Russia under false job promises; by August, five were dead, three missing, and seven were forcibly conscripted.

He said that not a single substantive step has been taken to punish the nexus of agents responsible for these crimes, nor to repatriate stranded Indians or deliver justice to the bereaved families.

“These are not isolated cases of fraud; this is a coordinated, large-scale operation that the Indian system has utterly failed to acknowledge or combat. The Punjab government’s ongoing delay in prosecuting the agents — whose criminal exploitation even robs families of death benefits and insurance payouts — is inexcusable and unacceptable,” the former Olympian said.

He demanded direct diplomatic engagement with Russian authorities at the highest level to secure release and repatriation of all Indian nationals, immediate legal proceedings under anti-human trafficking statutes against all agents and those complicit in this organised crime and expedited compensation and ongoing support for families who have lost loved ones or whose relatives are missing.

The Congress legislator sought the formation of a joint task force, a binding commitment from the Centre, the state government, and the MEA to ensure a permanent end to such exploitation.

“The Congress will hold every responsible authority to account until every young Indian and every grieving family sees justice and safety restored,” he added.

IANS