A 27-year-old man from Kupwara district in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has gone missing in Russia after being deceived into joining the Russia-Ukraine war under the false promise of a lucrative job. According to Kashmir Media Service, Zahoor Sheikh, from Karnah, last contacted his family on December 31, 2023, informing them he would be undergoing “training” and unreachable for three months. Since then, all communication has ceased, plunging his family into a relentless search for answers. 

Zahoor’s father, Mohammad Amin Sheikh, revealed that his son had been earning INR 30,000 a month before being lured by agents promising a high-paying job in Russia. Upon arrival, Zahoor discovered he, along with others from India, had been coerced into fighting alongside Russian soldiers. Desperate for information, Mohammad Amin has repeatedly approached the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, but his efforts have yielded no progress.

“It has been over a year with no trace of my son. He sought a better future but has become a victim of deceit,” he lamented. This case is part of a larger pattern. The Indian government has confirmed 12 deaths and 16 missing cases among Indian nationals caught in the conflict, with many more reportedly deployed by Russian forces. Reports suggest these people were misled into joining the war under the pretense of working as “army security helpers.” The growing outcry over this exploitation has sparked calls for urgent action to locate and repatriate those affected. Families of the missing, like Zahoor’s, continue to wait, grappling with uncertainty and anguish.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)