13 UP men tricked into security guard jobs, forced to fight in Russia’s war; 3 dead, 8 missing
Azamgarh: Several youths from Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh and surrounding districts, who initially went to Russia for jobs as security guards and cooks, were fraudulently sent to fight on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine.
Out of the 13 men who travelled to Russia, three have died on the battlefield, while two others have returned home after sustaining injuries during the war. The whereabouts of the remaining eight are still unknown, and their families have not received any updates.
The Indian embassy in Moscow has designated the eight as ‘missing’, reported Times of India, citing the family members of the victims.
One such victim, Yogendra Yadav, had worked for several years in the Middle Eastern countries. The job offer in Russia seemed significantly better and more lucrative, as he was promised a watchman position that would pay him Rs 2 lakh per month. However, as his wife, Anita Devi, explained, the situation took a drastic turn. “Within a couple of days after landing in Russia, he informed us that he had been deceived by the agents and trapped in a battle zone. He along with others were asked to mandatorily take part in weapons training and then were sent on frontline to fight a war which had nothing to do with my husband or other Indian men,” she told TOI.
Yogendra has three children, including two daughters and a son. His eldest daughter, Muskan, is unsure about appearing for her class 12 board exams as her school fees have been unpaid for months, though the school had previously given her relief on humanitarian grounds.
Another missing victim is Azaruddin Khan, from Gulami Ka Pura in Azamgarh. His sister, Zeba, told the news outlet that the family is not asking for money, only his safe return. “It was the first time he went abroad for a simple job, not to fight in a war. After sending several emails to the Indian embassy in Moscow, we were only told that the status of eight men is still ‘missing’. My father, Mainuddin Khan, suffered a heart attack when he learned that Azaruddin was trapped in Russia to fight a war against Ukraine,” she shared.
Apart from Azaruddin Khan and Yogendra Yadav, several others from UP travelled to Russia between January and February last year, including Humeshwar Prasad, Vinod Yadav, Sunil Yadav, Kanhaiya Yadav, Arvind Kumar, Dhirendra Kumar, Deepak, Ramachandra, Shyam Sundar, Rakesh Yadav, and Brajesh Kumar Yadav.
Of these, Kanhaiya Yadav, Sunil Yadav, and Shyam Sundar died on the battlefield, with their bodies being returned to their hometowns between September and December 2024, added the report.
Rakesh Yadav and Brajesh Kumar Yadav returned home with shrapnel injuries in September last year. The whereabouts of the remaining eight men are still unknown.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
In phone call, PM Modi, US President Trump resolve to promote global peace, security
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to work towards a "trusted" partnership between India and US and advance global peace and security in their first phone conversation since the American leader's inauguration last week.
Modi and Trump exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in West Asia and Ukraine, and deliberated on measures to boost bilateral cooperation in areas such as technology, trade, investment, energy and defence, an Indian readout said.
The two leaders agreed to meet soon, it said.
"Delighted to speak with my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump @POTUS.
Congratulated him on his historic second term," Modi said on 'X'.
"We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security," he said.
In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the two leaders "reaffirmed" their commitment for a "mutually beneficial and trusted partnership".
"They discussed various facets of the wide-ranging bilateral Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and measures to advance it, including in the areas of technology, trade, investment, energy and defence," it said.
"The two leaders exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in West Asia and Ukraine, and reiterated their commitment to work together for promoting global peace, prosperity and security," the PMO said.
"The leaders agreed to remain in touch and meet soon at an early mutually convenient date," it added.
It is not immediately known whether the issues of immigration and tariff figured in the talks.
Like in many countries, there have been some concerns in India as well over the Trump administration's approach on immigration and tariff.
President Trump has already talked about slapping "100 per cent tariffs" on the BRICS grouping, a bloc that includes India too.
It is learnt that the phone call was initiated from the Indian side.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week that India is looking for "bolder, bigger and a more ambitious" relationship with the US and indicated its readiness to work with the Trump administration to address issues like illegal immigration and trade.
The phone conversation between Modi and Trump came six days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held separate meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Washington.
Jaishankar also attended the Quad foreign ministers' meeting in the American capital. The meeting was the Trump administration's first foreign policy engagement.
At a media briefing in Washington on January 22, Jaishankar said his meetings signalled that the Trump administration "prioritising" the bilateral relationship with India.
The external affairs minister also said that there was agreement between the two sides about the need to be bolder, bigger, and more ambitious about the bilateral relationship.
Asked about the Trump administration's policy on tariff and immigration, Jaiswal said on Friday that India is looking at addressing issues in a constructive manner.
"Our approach has always been to address issues in a constructive manner which is in keeping with the interests of both countries," he had said at his weekly media briefing last week.
"We remain in close communication with the US administration and would like to continue to work towards strengthening our economic partnership further," he said.
India is also keen to continue cooperation under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) that was launched during the tenure of the Biden administration.
