In October of the previous year, David Moothappan came across a Facebook advertisement offering security guard positions in Russia. The offered monthly salary of 204,000 roubles ($2,201; £1,739) appeared lucrative to the young fisherman from Kerala, India.
Within weeks, the 23-year-old found himself thrust onto the battlefield in Donetsk, a city held by Russia in eastern Ukraine. Reflecting on his harrowing experience, he describes scenes of widespread death and destruction.
Mr. Moothappan, along with another individual from Kerala, managed to return home recently. They are among several Indians who were deceived by agents into participating in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine in recent months.
Some have succeeded in making their way back home, but others remain stranded in Russia. Predominantly hailing from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, they were enticed with promises of employment, sometimes framed as “helpers” in the Russian military. At least two Indians have lost their lives in the conflict.
Mr. Moothappan is relieved to be back in his hometown of Pozhiyoor, Kerala, but the memories of the war continue to haunt him. Recalling the grisly sights he witnessed, he describes being overwhelmed by distress, leading to physical illness.
During the Christmas season, he suffered a leg injury while deployed in a remote area, unbeknownst to his family at the time. He underwent treatment in various hospitals in Luhansk, Volgograd, and Rostov before finally being able to return home.
In a similar narrative unfolding in Anchuthengu, another fishing village in Kerala, Prince Sebastian recounts a tale of deceit and trauma. Also deceived by a local agent, he found himself deployed in Lysychansk, a town under Russian occupation in eastern Ukraine.
After a brief training period, he was sent to the frontline, armed with weapons, including an RPG-30 and bombs. However, his stint on the frontline was short-lived as he sustained injuries from a close-range bullet and subsequent bomb explosion.
Prince Sebastian spent the night wounded in a trench before managing to escape the next morning. He spent weeks recuperating in various hospitals before contacting the Indian embassy for assistance in returning home.
Despite his return, the fate of two of his friends, who accompanied him, remains unknown. Both fishermen, they have been missing for weeks, leaving their families distraught.
Authorities in Kerala have received complaints from the families of four men, including Mr. Moothappan and Mr. Sebastian, regarding their exploitation by agents.
Mr. Sebastian recounts how he and his friends approached a local agent for job opportunities in Europe, only to be persuaded into traveling to Russia. They paid a hefty sum for Russian visas and were subsequently coerced into signing contracts in a language they couldn’t understand.
Their passports and mobile phones were confiscated upon arrival at a military camp in the Rostov region, near the Ukrainian border.