A 23-year-old man from Gujarat’s Morbi district, currently in Ukrainian custody for allegedly fighting on behalf of Russia, has appealed to the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help in securing his release.
In video messages sent to his family, he also warned Indian citizens planning to go to Russia for studies or work to be cautious of scams.
The man, Sahil Mohamed Hussein Majothi, a resident of Morbi, first came into the spotlight earlier this October after Ukrainian authorities released a video showing him surrendering to Ukrainian forces.
Majothi had travelled to St Petersburg on January 10, 2024, on a student visa to pursue a course in Russian Language and Culture at ITMO University.
He later became embroiled in legal trouble, was jailed in Russia and was allegedly forced to join the Russian military before being captured by Ukrainian forces.
In two video messages, one in English and the other in Hindi, received by his family on Sunday night and said to have been shared by Ukrainian authorities, Majothi described his situation as desperate.
“Right now I am stuck in Ukraine as a war criminal. I am hopeless and don’t know what will happen in the future,” he says in one of the videos. He also added, “Those coming to Russia for higher studies or work should be very careful. There are many scammers here. You may get trapped in criminal, narcotics or illegal cases. As far as possible, stay away from all this.”
He also appealed to Indian authorities saying, “I request the Indian government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to please help me.”
In the English-language video, he says he is being held in a Ukrainian military jail and claims he signed a contract to fight in the war only to escape a Russian prison sentence.
“I signed the war contract when I was stuck in a Russian jail. That was the biggest mistake of my life,” he says, adding that he hopes Indian authorities will raise his case with Russia to facilitate his return home.
Majothi also claims he was falsely implicated in a narcotics case in Russia, sentenced to seven years in jail, and misled into joining the war.
The videos have a logo “I Want to live”, a governmental project of the Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War established with the support of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
As per its official website, it is intended for servicemen of the Russian armed forces willing to voluntarily surrender before Ukraine forces.