Indian student allegedly fighting for Russia captured by Ukrainian forces

Ukraine has captured an Indian national allegedly fighting for Russian forces, the first known Indian detained in the ongoing war.

Sahil Majothi, 22, from the Indian state of Gujarat, went to Russia to study computer engineering two years ago. His mother claims he was falsely accused in a drug case last April.

Mr Majothi joined the Russian army to avoid imprisonment over drug charges, according to a video released by Ukraine’s army on Tuesday.

The Indian foreign ministry says it is investigating the case and has not received formal communication from Ukraine. The BBC has asked the Russian government for a response.

In an interview with BBC Gujarati, Mr Majothi’s mother Hasina Majothi said her son went to Russia in January 2024.

He completed a three-month language course in St Petersburg before moving to Moscow for college, supporting himself part-time as a kitchenware courier.

She alleges that in April 2024, someone slipped drugs into a parcel handed to Mr Majothi during his deliveries.

“The police caught him with it and charged him,” Ms Hasina said.

According to Ms Hasina, her son was detained, held for six months and later sentenced to seven years in prison. The family hired a private lawyer in Russia to defend him, but they had no idea when or how he was drafted into the military.

“I don’t know how he ended up in Ukraine. I only found out through the viral video,” Ms Hasina said.

In the video released by the 63rd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian army, Mr Majothi can be heard saying he was given a choice between joining the Russian army, with pay for his service, or serving jail time.

He said he was told he would serve in the military for a year before being released.

Mr Majothi claims that different people promised him varying amounts of money – from a hundred thousand to over a million roubles – but he never received any payment.

He says he underwent 15 days of training in September 2024 and was sent to the battlefield a year later, on 30 September.

The next day, on 1 October, Mr Majothi said he had an altercation with his commander, after which he separated from Russian soldiers. That was when he came across a Ukrainian dugout and asked them for help, he added.

The BBC cannot independently verify the date or location of the video in which he makes these claims.

On Wednesday, after the video went viral, Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) questioned Ms Hasina and her brother in Ahmedabad. Her relatives said she separated from her husband around her son’s birth and supports her family as a seamstress while living with her maternal relatives.

ATS officials confirmed Mr Majothi’s arrest and subsequent detention in Russia. They said the family claimed to have had no contact with him since his arrest.

At his former school in Morbi, teachers called Mr Majothi an “average student” but deeply motivated to fulfil his mother’s dreams through education. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

Local community leaders have also appealed to the government to intervene and secure his return.

“Many young men like him have been trapped and dragged into the war,” said Kasam Sumra. “We appeal to the government to bring back Sahil and other young Indians who went abroad seeking work.”

Mr Majothi’s arrest comes amid rising concerns over Indians being recruited into the Russian military. Reports say over 150 Indians, some on student or visitor visas, have enlisted. At least 12 have died in the conflict and 16 remain missing.

In September, Indian officials urged Moscow to release and repatriate 27 Indian nationals who had been recruited into the army.

The Indian government has consistently advised its citizens against participating in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“We once again strongly urge all Indian nationals to stay away from offers to serve in the Russian army, as they are fraught with danger and risk to life,” a spokesperson from India’s foreign ministry said last month.

Additional reporting by Roxy Gagdekar Chhara from Ahmedabad and Nikita Yadav from Delhi

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