Ukraine military released a video where 22-year-old Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein was seen narrating how he came to Russia for studies but ended up fighting in the war.
An Indian national serving with the Russian military has surrendered to Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainian army said on Tuesday.ย The 63rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian military released a video on its Telegram channel showing the Indian national identifying himself as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, a 22-year-old from Gujarat, PTI reported.
Indian officials have not yet commented on the matter. Official sources said the Indian embassy in Kyiv is verifying the reportโs authenticity, adding that no formal communication has been received from Ukrainian authorities so far.
From student to soldier
According to The Kyiv Independent, Hussein had gone to Russia to pursue university studies. In the video released by Ukrainian forces, he said he was sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison on drug-related charges before being offered the chance to sign a contract with the Russian military to avoid imprisonment.
“I didn’t want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the special military operation. But I wanted to get out of there,”ย Hussein said. He added that after just 16 days of training, he was sent on his first combat mission on October 1, which lasted three days.
Surrender after dispute with commander
Hussein said he decided to surrender following a confrontation with his commander. โI came across a Ukrainian trench position about two to three kilometres away,โ he said. โI immediately put down my rifle and said that I didnโt want to fight. I needed help. I donโt want to go back to Russia.โ
The Ukrainian brigade said in its post that Hussein had initially been caught with drugs and had joined the military โin order not to go to prison.โ
India seeks release of nationals in Russian Army
Last month, Indiaโs Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it had strongly urged Russia to release and repatriate 27 Indian nationals currently serving with the Russian army. Reports have emerged suggesting that some Indians on student and business visas were coerced into joining Russian military units on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.
India has consistently pressed Russia to release all Indian nationals working as support staffโsuch as cooks and helpersโwith its military. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also raised the issue during his visit to Russia last year.
According to official data, more than 150 Indian nationals have been recruited by the Russian military. At least 12 have been killed in combat, while 96 have been discharged. Another 16 remain unaccounted for.