Five Andhra youths say they were lured to Russia and forced into its army; Lokesh seeks help

Three others from the group were reportedly sent to the front about two months ago and their whereabouts are unknown. The other two say they fear they may be deployed within two days, and that the video might be their last message. They want Indian citizenship restored and a safe return.

The family and the response

Vamsi's widowed mother, J. Appalakonda, has appealed to the Centre, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and IT Minister Nara Lokesh. She says her son went to Russia for fruit-packing work, found none and was then taken by the agent in the hope of better pay. One account says he was taken to Ukraine, while the video says they are being deployed near the border, and the reports do not reconcile the two. No employment contract is mentioned in the reports.

Lokesh said on X that his office has been directed to coordinate urgently with the authorities to ensure the youths' safe and speedy return. No response from the Ministry of External Affairs was reported in the coverage of this case.

A pattern the government has acknowledged

The case is not the first. Over the past two years, Indian men recruited through agents with promises of jobs or visas have turned up as soldiers or support staff in the Russian military, and the Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly taken the matter up with Moscow. The figures given by the government and in court have changed over time. The ministry told the Supreme Court in May that 217 Indians had joined the Russian forces, of whom 49 had died and six were missing. A report on a September ministry briefing, which quotes the Foreign Secretary, says 227 Indian nationals were recruited into the Russian military, of whom 51 have died and 139 have been discharged. Another report gives a higher total of about 267, and the totals differ across reports, so the most consistent figures are the 227 recruited and 51 dead.

In April 2025 the Supreme Court directed the ministry to file a detailed status report, and the government has said that some men entered voluntary contracts while others were misled. Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the early discharge of Indians in the Russian forces with the Russian authorities during his 2024 visit to Moscow.

The Supreme Court is hearing a plea about 26 such men, of whom the Centre has confirmed that ten have been killed. The Centre has also told the court that some Indians who were discharged and sent home have gone back to the Russian military and become untraceable. The ministry has secured the early release of 119 Indians, with about 50 more in the process, according to one report, and has shared DNA samples to help identify those reported dead or missing. In the past the ministry has urged Russia to release all Indians serving in its military, including after the death of a Kerala man, and has asked for action against the agents who recruited them on false promises. The reports reviewed do not describe any prosecution of the agents.

The reports do not confirm the youths' current location, the identity of the agent beyond his being a Nepali national, or the terms of any contract. The three who were reportedly sent to the front have not been traced. It is also unclear whether the youths hold Russian citizenship in law, as they say they were told, or whether they can leave the army, and the ministry has not said what it will do for this group.

For the families, the next steps are in the hands of the ministry and the state government. Lokesh's office has promised to coordinate, and the mother's appeal to the Centre is likely to be taken up through the ministry's channels with the Russian authorities.