THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The tremors of the Russian-Ukriane war are now increasingly being felt in Kerala as details of more youths from the state, who were tricked into working as foot soldiers of Russian militias and regular army, getting injured in theatre of operations emerge.
A 23-year-old Poovar native is reportedly the latest from the state to get injured in the battle. The injured, David Muthappan, is said to have tricked by a Delhi-based agent, who offered him the job of a helper with the Russian army. He is currently housed in a church after sustaining injuries on his lower limbs during the Russian military operations in Ukraine.
David, according to his relatives, painstakingly managed to flee the war front and is now recuperating in a church where he sought asylum. The family has sought government intervention to bring him back. David was allegedly provided the job after he paid the agent `3.5 lakh as recruitment charge and commission.
Earlier, there were reports of three youths from Anchuthengu being trapped in the strife-torn areas of Ukraine after they were forced to take up arms for the invading Russian army. The three men, Prince Sebastian, Vineeth Selva and Tinu Pazhaniyadima, were recruited by a Kerala-born agent after being charged `7 lakh each as recruitment fee.
Meanwhile, the state intelligence’s assessment is that only less than eight men from the state are trapped in the war zone. “Less than 40 Indians were recruited to the Ukraine war zone. Of these, less than eight men could be from Kerala,” said a senior police officer.
The CBI had earlier raided the offices of a few recruiting firms, who were allegedly involved in human trafficking to Russia, and named three Keralites, who were working as recruitment agents, as accused.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently wrote to the central government urging them to repatriate the Keralites stranded in Russia.