Two Kashmiris Forced To Fight For Russia At Kyiv Frontline

Srinagar: Everytime, Sajad Ahmad Kumar hears the distant echoes of bullets and firing during his phone conversation with his brother Azad Yousuf Kumar, his heart skips a beat.

Two months ago, when Azad, a borewell technician, was blessed with a baby boy, he resolved to find a secure job that would support his growing family. However, little did he know that he would end up in Russia fighting their war with neighboring country Ukraine.

Azad, a 31-year-old resident of Poshwan village in Tral, Pulwama district, stumbled upon an advertisement from a YouTube channel called "Baba Vlogs," operated by a consultant named Faisal Khan, based in Dubai.

“My brother reached-out to them, they informed him to travel to Dubai,” said Sajad.

Azad, according to his brother, fled to Dubai in December 2013, where he was provided tickets to Moscow, Russia, by the said consultant.

“He was asked to sign papers in Russian language, he couldn’t understand it. He is not educated as well,” Kumar said.

Azad wasn’t the only Indian who was dubbed by the company, there were 11 others from different states of India who were forcefully dispatched to Russia to join its war with Ukraine.

According to reports, these individuals were allegedly lured by agents to enlist in the Russian state-funded private military company, the Wagner Group, under the guise of employment opportunities in Russia. Subsequently, they were purportedly left in conflict-ridden Ukraine as part of the Russian military force.

Upon arrival in Russia, Azad and his companions were transferred to the Russian Army and underwent a rigorous 15-day training program, and subsequently deployed to the border with Ukraine.

“He was forced to serve as a mercenary to fight the Russian war,” Kumar laments, adding, “two weeks ago, a bullet hit his feet and he is injured now.”

He says that they aren’t able to communicate with their kin regularly and they fear for his life.

“We don’t know anyone. Neither we know to whom we should contact,” Kumar said.

“His wife is crying inconsolably and eagerly yearns for her husband’s return.”

According to brother, Azad is

Sajad, his