Indian Man Lured to Russia for Fruit-Packing Work and Sent Toward the Front. His State Government Warns Youth.

J Vamsi, a man from the city of Visakhapatnam in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, travelled to Russia for a fruit-packing job and ended up in the Russian army, his mother says. PTI reported on November 2 that a video message from a person purported to be Vamsi and four other Indians says they were deceived and are being sent to the front-line areas along the Russia-Ukraine border. On November 4, the state government warned young people against agents and training institutes that promise overseas jobs and then push recruits into Russia's army, citing his case.

Fruit Packing, Then the Army

Vamsi's mother, J Appalakonda, told reporters that her son found no work after reaching Russia. He then got in touch with a Nepali national, who promised him a better-paid job in Ukraine and took him there, she said. She appealed to India's central government and the state government to bring him home. "I just want my son back and do not want anything else," she said, according to PTI.

In the video message, the man purported to be Vamsi and four other Indians say they met a Nepali national in Russia who promised them food-packing jobs in the army and arranged their recruitment. They say they were made to sign documents written in Russian that they could not understand, and that they learned only later that they had been given Russian citizenship. The man said that when they ask about their Indian citizenship, they are told they are no longer Indian. He said they are now being sent to the front line and appealed to the Indian government to bring them back.

The state's Minister Nara Lokesh responded on X, asking his office to coordinate with the authorities to help the men return home and published the video:

The State Government Issues a Warning

In a press release on November 4, the state government said it had received information that private training institutes and illegal agents, particularly in the North Andhra region, were sending young people abroad on the promise of jobs and higher salaries, and that in several cases they had been pressured into joining the military in Russia. Some, it said, were reportedly drawn by high salaries, while others were allegedly trapped in false cases and forced to take part in military activities.

The government told job seekers to be wary of overseas job advertisements with high salaries, easy recruitment and quick departure, and not to use unrecognised training institutes or agents. It urged them to check contracts, visas, the nature of the work and the legality of the recruiting organisation with the relevant official agencies, and to report suspicious offers to the authorities and the police.

We previously reported on the Kremlin's promises to send India's recruits home, which it has been making since 2024.

A Safe Way Out

Indians and other foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. See our FAQ for recommendations for victims of Russian military recruitment and their families.