'He Was Forced Into Signing...': Kin Of Kashmiri Man 'Duped' Into Fighting For Russia Claims Accused YouTuber's Involvement

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recorded the statements of the family members of Azad Yousuf Kumar, a Kashmiri man who is among the several Indian nationals allegedly duped into fighting alongside Russian soldiers as part of the ongoing war in Ukraine, news agency PTI reported on Sunday.

The probe agency recorded the statements recently after it busted a nationwide human trafficking network and registered a case against 19 individuals and visa consultancy firms as part of a probe into allegations of Indian men being thrust into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Sajad Ahmed Kumar, Azad's elder brother, said the families of 12 other affected Indian men have also been contacted by the CBI. According to Sajad, Azad also fell victim to the tall claims made by YouTuber Faisal Khan, whose name emerged in the case after two Indian casualties were reported from the active war zone last month.

Faisal, who runs a YouTube channel titled 'Baba Vlogs' and a company named Baba Vlogs Overseas Recruitment Solutions Pvt Ltd, is among those named by the CBI in its FIR in the case. Azad, a 31-year-old engineering graduate hailing from Jammu & Kashmir's Pulwama district, initially sought employment opportunities in Dubai but was misled by false promises, PTI said in its report.

Azad embarked for Dubai on December 14 last year in search of a decent job following allurement by Faisal, his family has claimed. "He was promised a job in Dubai by the YouTuber. However, he ended up being a mercenary for the Russian army," the family said.

"He is right now at the Ukraine border. We spoke to him a few days ago and he told us that his life is in danger. He was forcibly told to sign a contract which was in Russian language and that's how he landed up at the Russia-Ukraine border. Then he was sent to the frontline with other Indians," Sajad was quoted as saying by PTI.

He said that Azad manages to call the family during evening hours for a few minutes. "They are constructing bunkers in the forests right now. They have moved further from Black Sea. They occupy the areas and then make bunkers there," Sajad said, quoting his brother.

He said Azad was made to undergo a 15-day-long military training during which he was hit by a bullet and was hospitalised for two weeks thereafter. Sajad said he was assured by agents that Azad would be employed as a kitchen helper but he was instead sent to fight alongside Russian soldiers on the frontline.

Notably, in a YouTube video posted last September, Faisal promotes opportunities to work as "helpers" in the Russian army. In an interview with The Indian Express earlier this month, he admitted to sending 35 Indian nationals to Russia. Faisal claimed innocence saying that he was assured by his associates in Russia that the men would not be deployed on the front lines.

(With inputs from agencies)