Ukraine claims it captured Indian student fighting for Russian Army in ongoing war

The man, identified as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, 22, is reportedly a student from Morbi, Gujarat, who travelled to Russia to pursue studies.

Also Read: MEA says 12 Indian nationals died while fighting for Russia in the ongoing war against Ukraine

According to The Kyiv Independent, Majoti appeared in a video released by Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanized Brigade, saying he had been sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison on drug-related charges.

He claimed that to avoid further imprisonment, he was offered a contract to join the Russian military.

“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,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Majoti said he underwent just 16 days of training before being deployed to the frontlines.

After a dispute with his commander, he reportedly surrendered to Ukrainian troops.

“I came across a Ukrainian trench position about two to three kilometres away. I put down my rifle and said I didn’t want to fight. I needed help,” he said, adding that he had not received any of the promised financial compensation.

“I don’t want to go back to Russia. There is no truth there. I’d rather go to prison here (in Ukraine),” he added.

Reacting to the reports, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told NDTV it is verifying the information.

“We are ascertaining the veracity of the report. We have not yet received any formal communication from the Ukrainian side,” an MEA source said.

Earlier this year, the MEA confirmed that 12 Indian nationals fighting for Russia had died in the conflict, while 16 others remain missing.