‘Fraught with danger’: MEA warns Indians against accepting offers to join Russian Army

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday warned Indian citizens against accepting offers to join the Russian Army, highlighting that doing so was “fraught with danger”.

The advisory came after a report by The Hindu on Wednesday that at least 15 Indians were stranded in the battlefield in Ukraine, where they are being forced to fight alongside the Russian military.

Two Indians in the Donetsk region told the newspaper that they went to Russia on student or visitor visas and were hired by an agent with promises of construction jobs. But they were sent to the war zone in Ukraine.

In response to questions about the report, ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian government had on several occasions over the past year “underlined the risks and dangers inherent in this course of action and cautioned Indian citizens accordingly”.

He said that India has taken up the matter with Russian authorities in New Delhi and Moscow, “asking that this practice be ended and that our nationals be released”.

The ministry added that it was in touch with the families of the affected Indians.

Our response to media queries on Indians recruited into the Russian army
? https://t.co/i6WIbHOK51 pic.twitter.com/xzQKGEfJgR— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 11, 2025

In January, following the death of a citizen from Kerala who was recruited by the Russian Army, the ministry...

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