Jammu & Kashmir

Kashmiri youth missing in Russia, family alleges forced enlistment in Ukraine War

Members of the 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade of the Russian Airborne Forces. [Photo: Wikimedia]

Kupwara: A young man from Karnah in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, near the Line of Control, has gone missing in Russia after accepting a job offer. Zahoor Sheikh, 27, was reportedly drawn by the promise of a lucrative future, only to find himself deployed to the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict alongside Russian soldiers, as reported by The Week.

Zahoor last contacted his family on December 31, 2023, informing them that he would be undergoing “training” and would be out of contact for three months. However, as reports emerged about Indian nationals perishing in the Russia-Ukraine war, his family became increasingly alarmed about his safety.

Zahoor’s father, Mohammad Amin Sheikh, a resident of Haji Nar in Karnah, shared the family’s desperate search for their missing son. He told The Week that Zahoor, a graduate from Chandigarh, had been working for Rs30,000 a month before being approached by agents, including a woman, offering a high-paying job in Russia. Tempted by the prospect of earning a year’s salary in a single month, Zahoor accepted the offer.

Upon arrival in Russia, he discovered that he and other young men from various parts of India had been deceived with false promises of jobs and instead were sent to fight in the war against Ukraine. Since Zahoor’s last call, his family has been unable to reach him as his phone remains switched off.

“It’s been over a year now, and there is still no trace of my son,” Mohammad Amin told the news organisation. Despite repeated appeals to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, the family has not received any concrete information. Amin said they have made several trips to Delhi to seek answers but to no avail.

According to Mohammad Amin, Zahoor is one of 15 Indian nationals reported missing in Russia. Their families allege that the young men were misled and forced into the Russian army. However, their pleas for assistance have so far yielded no progress.

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