- By Mayukh Debnath
- Sat, 09 Mar 2024 04:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday confirmed that several Indian nationals were "duped" into fighting alongside Russian soldiers as part of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The confirmation came days after India's Embassy in Moscow confirmed the death of one Mohammed Asfan, who is said to have died on the battlefield. The embassy, however, did not mention the cause of Asfan's death or the location where it took place.
Asfan, 30, who hailed from Telangana's Hyderabad, was employed as a "helper" in the Russian army, news agency Reuters said citing his relatives. His death was the second Indian casualty reported from the embattled territory in Ukraine in the past few weeks. In February, 23-year-old Hemil Mangukiya's family learnt of his death through a phone call from another Indian man who was fighting alongside him in Ukraine.
"Several Indian nationals have been duped to work in the Russian army. We have strongly taken up the matter for the early discharge of such Indian nationals. Strong action has been initiated against agents who recruited them on false pretexts...We remain committed to the early release of our nationals serving as support staff with the Russian army and then eventually return home," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.
The comments by the MEA spokesperson came during a press briefing two days after the Central Bureau of Investigation busted a nationwide human trafficking network that was allegedly sending Indian nationals to the war zone in Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative job opportunities. As part of its investigation into the alleged human trafficking network, the CBI raided around 13 locations across Delhi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai.
One of the names featured in the probe agency's FIR in the matter was "Baba Vlogs Overseas Recruitment Solutions Pvt Ltd", founded by vlogger Faisal Abdul Mutallib Khan. It has been reported that both Mangukiya, who hailed from Gujarat, and Asfan were among the several Indian men who were deceived through YouTube videos into fighting in Ukraine with promises of lucrative jobs in non-combat roles in the Russian army.
One such video was posted by Faisal, who runs a YouTube channel titled 'Baba Vlogs'. He posted a walkaround video, shot in Russia's Saint Petersburg, on the channel back in September last year. In the video, he promotes opportunities to work as "helpers" in the Russian army. In a recent interview with The Indian Express, 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.
Who Is Faisal Khan aka Baba Vlogs?
- Faisal Khan is an Indian YouTuber who promotes foreign-based blue-collar job opportunities in his videos.
- The YouTuber is reportedly a resident of Mumbai.
- His YouTube channel is named 'Baba Vlogs'.
- He runs a manpower consulting agency named Baba Vlogs Overseas Recruitment Solutions Pvt Ltd. The firm was founded by Faisal in 2016.
- He has previously worked as a salesman in UAE's Dubai in 2008
- In a video titled 'Russia 🇷🇺 Army Jobs | Helper Jobs | Easy Move Schengen | Baba Vlogs', Khan promotes opportunities to work as "helpers" in the Russian army.
- "When you join as helpers, it is not rocket science, you don't have to fire a cannon or guns or go to the frontlines. Once the army has crossed an area, your job will be to empty buildings, get stuff out, or guard ammunition. Your job will be as a helper or a security guard," NDTV quoted Faisal as saying in the video.
- "The main advantage is that you will get a government official card. You will stay in a nice place and get decent food. You will get priority everywhere. Based on that card, you can get Schengen visas, go to some other country or get a PR visa. The government's thinking is that if you support them now, they will also give you a benefit, they will give you a PR visa," he further says in the video, as per NDTV.
- He told The Indian Express: "I have sent a total of 35 people to Russia. I am also a victim here. I was told by the other agents and the handlers in Russia that these men would not be deployed on the front lines. What has happened after these men reached Russia was beyond my control. When I got to know that some of the men had been sent to the front lines, I desperately tried to get them back."
(With inputs from agencies)