India Says 259 Nationals Were Drafted Into Russia's Army - a Columnist Says Weak Recruitment Rules Let Agents Send Them

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) believes 259 Indian nationals were drafted into the Russian armed forces, according to an opinion piece by columnist Saaransh Mishra, who previously worked with ORF, published by NDTV on October 14, 2026. Of these, 139 have obtained early discharge, he writes, while information is still to be sought on 69 others who may be serving or whose status is undetermined. Mishra's central question is how Indians recruited through the civilian overseas-jobs market ended up in a foreign army without anyone identifying it beforehand. These are the author's arguments. Earlier reports we covered gave different counts, including 140 discharged and 55 unaccounted for. A report created by Truth Hounds and Fortify Rights stated that the number of Indians recruited into Russia's army was 170 as of March this year.

Salaries as the Hook

Mishra points to recent reports from Telangana, where young workers were offered about Rs 2 lakh a month (roughly $2,100 at the October 14 rate of about 95 rupees to the dollar), plus insurance and a bonus. One worker, he writes, paid an agent Rs 2.5 lakh (roughly $2,600) to secure the job in Russia.

For workers from low-income backgrounds with informal and irregular local employment, he argues, such pay is a chance to change their economic status. He says agents often do not hide the dangers; they present the risks as temporary, manageable, and worth the money. Workers may also be misled into believing the job is security, logistics, or support work rather than combat.

Agents Outside the System

Under Section 10 of India's Emigration Act, 1983, recruiting agents must be registered with the Protector General of Emigrants before recruiting Indians for work abroad, Mishra writes, and registration certificates are issued through the MEA's eMigrate portal. The rules cap an emigrant's service fee at the equivalent of 45 days of wages, up to a maximum of Rs 20,000 (about $210), and bar the use of sub-agents. He cites a July 2026 parliamentary response putting the number of unregistered agents on the portal at roughly 3,505.

The cases, he argues, show a gap between those rules and reality. Workers were approached through informal channels and possibly social media, or sent on visas that did not match the work they ended up doing, so the recruitment would not reach the regulators until the worker had already left India. The eMigrate system records nothing, he writes, if a person leaves on a tourist or student visa, or signs a new contract after arriving abroad. He calls for checks before departure, on arrival, and after employment begins.

Willing Recruits and Misled Ones

Mishra notes that the MEA's advisory warns Indians against offers from unverified individuals and also acknowledges that some Indians were deliberately seeking military recruitment in return for what looked like life-changing money. He argues authorities must tell those cases apart from the ones where people were misled, by identifying the agents involved, examining transaction records, and checking advertisements. Depending on the facts, he says, charges could include fraud, unauthorised recruitment, forgery, trafficking, or violations of the Emigration Act. The MEA has said complaints against fraudulent agents are referred to state police for investigation and prosecution where needed.

Contracts Nobody Could Read

The author also argues that a contract in a language the worker cannot read does not amount to informed consent, and that contracts involving military operations or defence contractors need an accurate translation, an independent explanation, and explicit disclosure of the risks. A vague description such as "work for the army" should not count as sufficient, he writes.

On Russia, Mishra says India should pursue the matter through continuous bilateral engagement rather than public confrontation, and should seek regular information on the whereabouts, identity, location, and legal status of every Indian recruited, along with guaranteed consular access and channels to their families.

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 to find out more details.