Indian man surrenders to Ukraine after joining Russian military to avoid prison: Report
Guwahati: Ukrainian forces have reportedly captured a 22-year-old Indian national, Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, who had allegedly been serving in the Russian military.
Ukrainian military officials said Hussein, a native of Morbi in India's Gujarat, surrendered to Ukraine's 63rd Mechanised Brigade just three days after deployment to the front lines, according to a news report.
Sources cited by a news report revealed that the Indian Embassy in Kyiv is currently verifying the claims. As of now, Ukrainian authorities have not formally communicated the capture to the Indian mission.
In a post on its official Telegram channel, the Ukrainian military alleged that Hussein originally travelled to Russia for education, but Russian authorities later arrested him on drug-related charges and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
They claimed he chose to join the Russian army as a way to escape incarceration.
“To avoid going to prison, he went to war,” read a statement by the 63rd Mechanised Brigade.
The brigade also released a video, now widely circulating on social media, showing Hussein speaking in Russian.
He admits to joining the Russian forces to avoid serving his prison sentence.
“I didn’t want to remain in jail, so I signed up for the ‘special military operation’,” he says in the video, using Russia’s term for its invasion of Ukraine. “But once I got there, I wanted to get out.”
Hussein recounts that Russian authorities provided him with just 16 days of basic training before deploying him to the battlefield on October 1. He claims a dispute with his commander pushed him to surrender.
“I found a Ukrainian trench position about two or three kilometres away,” he recalls.
He added, “I immediately dropped my rifle and asked for help. I told them I didn’t want to fight.”
He also said he never received the financial compensation promised to him and expressed a clear reluctance to return to Russia. “There’s no truth there—nothing. I’d rather go to prison here (in Ukraine),” he stated.
This incident has brought renewed attention to the growing number of Indian nationals reportedly joining the Russian military.
Some are believed to have been misled, coerced, or recruited under false pretences.
In recent months, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that India had formally requested Russia to release and repatriate 27 Indian citizens serving in its armed forces.
Official figures show that authorities have recruited over 150 Indians since the war began in 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised this issue during his visit to Russia last year, urging Russian authorities to take action.
So far, reports indicate that the conflict has killed 12 Indian nationals, discharged 96, and left 16 unaccounted for.