Modi to meet Putin as Indian men fight for Russia in Ukraine | DW News

Modi to meet Putin as Indian men fight for Russia in Ukraine | DW News

now India’s prime minister Narendra Modi is heading to Russia for his first visit since Russia’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Mod’s trip will include a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin whom he last met in Russia in 2019 India is a major buyer of Russian arms and has also become a key buyer of Russian oil following Western sanctions placed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine while Prime Minister Modi has not condemned Russia he is under pressure to secure the release of Indians allegedly misled into fighting for Moscow in Ukraine reportedly uh lured they were with the promise of lucrative jobs and education but they didn’t end up they did end up on the front lines Ravi Mo sent this message from the Russia Ukraine Frontline to his brother AJ back in March my eyes well up on hearing this message Ravi survived the attack only to be deployed again to the front line a week later since then his brother a hasn’t heard from him but he hasn’t given up hope I have been sending him text messages every day since the 12th of March I get no response but I don’t want my brother to feel we have forgotten him former Generations saw poverty and so did our generation in the family he went there with the intention of changing the fate of our future generation so they can live a comfortable life this Village sent many young men to Russia but not to join the army they were duped by local travel agents who promised lucrative jobs one of the agents has been arrested on charges of Fraud and human trafficking we gave $133,000 to the travel agent to get Ravi a job in Russia but when he landed there and called me a few days later Ravi told me that he was forced into signing a contract to join the Russian army he was told that either you will have to go to the war or face prison for 10 years Ravi told me to alert others in the village so that they don’t land in a similar situation ravi’s family does not want to believe he’s dead and have been asking the government to find out his whereabouts in this Village they’re not the only ones in a torturous limbo this is sahil Mo in a video he sent from Russia appealing to the Indian government to rescue him he got shrapnel injuries in both his legs on the front line his mother is distraught she says she would rather have her son jobless at home than in a death trap far away my heart yearns for him I miss him so much he asks me to make chili flatbread for him when he returns home he must be starving there six young men from this Village named matur have gone to Moscow it’s believed that around 100 Indian men have been recruited by the Russian army in the last year why did they go because they simply could not find jobs at home and it seems that many like sahil are told that they’d be far from the fighting Indian government says two of its citizens have died in the war and raised the matter with the Russian government ahead of prime minister Mod’s visit to Moscow the fam’s back home want Modi to make the safe return of their kin a priority during his visit if my voice reaches Mr Modi I would ask him to bring back all Indians who are trapped in the Russian army no matter what condition they are in injured alive or dead we hope they bring them home seems like Modi has a good rapport with Putin for now they watch the war from afar hoping that the fighting will be followed by Signs of Life for more on this we can talk now to happy mon Jacob an expert on India’s foreign policy and a professor at jaah nebu University in Delhi thanks for being with us happon there are lots of issues the leaders of Russia and India have to talk about how important for India is this issue of bringing soldiers back well I think um in the scheme of things between India and Russia this is clearly one of the uh important things that I sure Mr Modi will converse with his counterpart in Moscow but I must say that however uh you know difficult and an issue this is and hard trending the images that I just saw on your program um this has not really dampened the spirit of the bilateral partnership between India and Russia um having said that this is a problem that many people are facing and I’m I’m sure that Mr Modi will take it up with Mr Putin this is widely seen as a scam that has gone out of control uh now something that the Russian authorities will have to um you know take measures urgent measures to sort of send these men back home this is not being seen as something that the Russian authorities um directly or knowingly lured Indian in Indian men into um enlisting in the um Russian army to fight against Ukrainian it’s not widely seen that but I think I agree with you this is an important issue and the government is concerned about it Al this is not on top of the agenda now this is the first time that prime minister money has visited Russia since it uh launched its fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 why has the Prime Minister decided to go now well I think there are several factors here one I think for as soon as the war broke out Mr Modi was not sure whether he should um um engage Mr Putin in a bilateral Summit u in 2022 remember the first the last Summit was in 2021 December um and Modi was supposed to go to Moscow in 2022 which he did not because there was a lack of clarity on whether or not India should Engage The Russians the way it did before the war took place number one number two U I think today you are looking at a situation where the reading in India is rightly or wrongly that Russia is winning the war and if Russia is actually winning the war right or wrong um you know it is it would be unwise on the Indian side not to reach out to Mr Putin and number three you are looking at a lot of Engagement between China and Russia today uh going by the baral Summits and the other engagement between the two sides and I think Mr Modi feels something Indian government in general feels that it would be um unwise for the Indian side not to reach out to Russia at a time when China is um reaching out to Russia in a big way uh and and finally Russia is also in in many ways engaging with India’s neighbors if you look at the Russian engagement in Myanmar in Bangladesh in Pakistan in Afghanistan you’re looking at a country that is reenergized ing its ties with India’s neighbors something that India has taken notice of and I think it would be again if I may use that word unwise for the Indian side not to sort of Engage The Russians at a time when Russia is expanding its influence in the region I think there are several factors that have prompted the Indian side uh to change may I say um the course of its policy towards Russia now happy mon thank you very much for talking with us that was happy mon Jacob from jaah halal Neu University in Delhi thank you

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heading to Russia for his first visit since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Modi’s trip will include a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he last met in Russia in 2019. India is a major buyer of Russian arms – and has also become a key buyer of Russian oil following Western sanctions placed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.
While Modi has not condemned Russia, he is under pressure to secure the release of Indians allegedly misled into fighting for Moscow in Ukraine. Reportedly lured with the promise of lucrative jobs and education but ending up on the frontlines.

00:00 Indian men ‘duped’ into fighting for Russia
04:23 DW speaks with Happymoon Jacob, an expert on India’s foreign policy and a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi

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