The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
Three youths tricked into fighting against Ukraine plead for help to return
Prince Sebastian, 24, is not sure about the date and time when the Russian artillery unit in which he is a member, along with his brother, moved towards the Ukraine border to fight against the Ukraine army.
“I presume it was on February 4, as per the date I arrived in Russia from Kerala, that we joined the Russian army to fight against Ukraine. As darkness fell one evening, our unit commandant ordered us to march towards Ukraine. The stretch we had been moving was pitch dark, with occasional noise of gunshots and artillery flares,” says Mr. Sebastian.
By the crack of dawn the next morning, Mr. Sebastian and his unit had reached a province near
Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine. Though his unit chief kept changing the position of the tank in the war zone, Mr. Sebastian was shot at the very next day. A bullet struck his left forehead between his eye and ear. As the bullet hit his head after hitting the tank, it didn’t pierce deep into his head. Nevertheless, his relief didn’t last much as his leg was grievously injured when a grenade exploded near the tank.
Undergoes surgery
He was taken out of the tank and put into a hideout along with other injured people, where he had to spend hours before being shifted back to Russia for treatment. He then underwent a surgery. But his cousin Vineeth Silva had to go ahead with the Russian army to fight against the Ukraine force.
Tinu Paniyadima, another cousin, was taken to the battlefield along with another artillery unit. Both of them have been fighting against the Ukraine army for the past oneandahalf months, says Mr. Sebastian.
Three of them reached Russia on January 4 on an employment visa to work as security guards. They were promised a salary of ₹2 lakh a month. The agents who sent them to Russia and the ones who received them there were
Keralites.
Hailing from the coastal fishing village of Anchuthengu in Thiruvananthapuram, they had paid ₹7 lakh for the visa. Only after reaching Russia did they realise the plot. Their passports and mobile phones were taken away by the agents. Soon after signing an agreement, they were taken to a military training camp, where they had to undergo 24 days of arms training before being taken to Ukraine.
Though Mr. Sebastian is under treatment, last week he was asked by his chief to rejoin the force after two weeks as there is a dearth of trained personnel.
Besides Indians, people from Nepal and Sri Lanka are also serving in the Russian army after being taken to the country on false promises of jobs. “We don’t have our passports or any documents related to employment with us. We can return to India only if the Indian Embassy intervenes. Although I contacted the embassy officials multiple times, no assistance has been provided so far,” says Mr. Sebastian.
‘Steps taken’
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said on Thursday that as per the information received by the Central government, four
Keralites were stranded in the wartorn Ukraine and steps were being taken to bring them back.
After visiting the families of three youths from Anchuthengu who are taken to Russia, he said the Indian government was aware of the development and was in talks with Russia to repatriate the Indians who wished to come back.
The demand for the safe return of Indians was made during discussions at various levels.
The people who were taken to the war zone were recruited by fake recruitment agencies and none of them had gone through proper channel. An investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and other agencies was under way to stop the illegal practice and action had been initiated in some cases, he said.