Indian man fighting for Russia caught by Ukrainian forces: report

An Indian man has reportedly found himself in the middle of Russia and Ukraine’s deadly war, which is showing no signs of slowing down. The man has been identified as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, reportedly a 22-year-old who formerly lived in Gujarat. But India is yet to verify the reports and is waiting for information from Kyiv.

Hussein was captured by Ukrainian forces and was reportedly fighting for the Russians. A video recorded by 63rd Mechanised Brigade of Ukraine, which captured him, tells the story of how he ended up on the battlefield.

The man claimed he was serving a 7-year sentence in Russia after being booked under drug-related charges. He was offered the opportunity to sign a contract with the Russian military to avoid further punishment.

“I didn't want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the 'special military operation' (Russia's term for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine). But I wanted to get out of there,” he said. After receiving training for about 16 days with the Russian forces, he was deployed to the battlefield.

“I came across a Ukrainian trench position about 2-3 kilometres away... I immediately put down my rifle and said that I didn't want to fight. I needed help,” he added.

Media reports say 1,500 foreign fighters from 48 countries have enlisted with the Russian military since the start of the war. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in January that 12 Indian nationals have already died fighting for Russia against Ukraine.

The alleged unsolicited drafting of personnel into Russian forces has been one of the few pressure points in otherwise warming ties between New Delhi and Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December.

Russia-Ukraine war

Ukraine and Russia launched attacks on each other's territory early on Wednesday, leaving at least five people dead, authorities on the two sides said. In Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a missile strike killed three people in the village of Maslova Pristan, about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the border, the local governor said.

Moscow's defence ministry said it had intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, most of them over the Belgorod region, a frequent target of the attacks.

Kyiv is ramping up retaliatory strikes on Russia's energy and oil infrastructure, in what it sees as a legitimate response to Moscow's offensive and its daily attacks on Ukrainian cities, which have at times left millions without heating and power.