Have 126 Youths Been Recruited into the Russian Army to Fight in Ukraine? Claims Punjab Legislator

Chandigarh, Sep 11 (NationPress) Pargat Singh, a legislator from Punjab and Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, reported on Thursday that a minimum of 126 young individuals from India have been enlisted in the Russian military to engage in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with 15 of them reported missing.

He criticized the persistent inaction of Indian authorities in preventing the coercive recruitment and deployment of numerous youths from Punjab into the Russian Army. Singh stated to the press that despite multiple official advisories from the government, both the central and Punjab governments have shown a concerning level of indifference, allowing traffickers and agents to conduct extensive human smuggling.

“The lack of action by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Moscow is a violation of duty and a serious neglect of responsibility,” Singh expressed.

“While government bodies continue to issue ineffective warnings, our youths are losing their lives on foreign battlegrounds, leaving families unsupported, uninformed, and deprived of even the dignity of proper investigation or compensation.”

In response, the MEA has released a new advisory, cautioning citizens against such opportunities and labeling the path as “fraught with danger.”

“We have observed reports of Indian nationals being recently recruited into the Russian Army. Over the past year, the government has repeatedly highlighted the dangers associated with this decision and has advised Indian citizens accordingly,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal informed the media in New Delhi.

Nevertheless, Pargat Singh presented evidence of systemic failure, including testimonies from families of affected youths, such as Jagdeep Singh, whose brother perished in the Ukraine conflict while fighting for Russia. Singh revealed that Punjabi youths are being lured to Russia under false job promises; by August, five had died, three were missing, and seven had been forcibly conscripted.

He emphasized that no effective measures have been taken to penalize the network of agents responsible for these transgressions or to repatriate stranded Indians or provide justice to the grieving families.

“These are not isolated incidents; this is a coordinated, large-scale operation that the Indian framework has completely failed to recognize or address. The ongoing inaction by the Punjab government in prosecuting the agents—whose criminal exploitation even deprives families of death benefits and insurance payouts—is utterly unacceptable,” the former Olympian remarked.

He called for direct diplomatic dialogue with Russian authorities at the highest level to secure the release and repatriation of all Indian nationals, initiate immediate legal actions under anti-human trafficking laws against all agents and their accomplices involved in this organized crime, and expedite compensation and continuous support for families who have lost loved ones or whose relatives are unaccounted for.

The Congress legislator advocated for the establishment of a joint task force, demanding a binding commitment from the Centre, the state government, and the MEA to ensure a permanent cessation of such exploitation.

“The Congress party will hold every accountable authority responsible until justice and safety are restored for every young Indian and every grieving family,” he concluded.