HYDERABAD: AIMIM supremo and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has written to the Embassy of India in Moscow, urging immediate steps for the safe repatriation of a Hyderabad resident, Ahmed, who was stranded in Russia and allegedly forced to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Sharing a video message with his wife from the Ukraine border, Ahmed said: “I was deceived by an agent named Adil, who made me wait here for 25 days, promising a job. But I was forced into a combat role without knowledge.”
He added that he tried for other jobs but was not paid. “With no other option left, I agreed to a job without knowing that I would be sent to the battlefield,” Ahmed said.
The 37-year-old also alleged that out of 25 people in his group, 17 were killed, including one Indian. When four others refused to follow orders, they were threatened with death and warned that their families would be told they died in a drone or bomb attack.
Ahmed, who said he was injured with a fractured leg, added that he had been given a day’s rest but was expected to return to the frontline the next day. “If the agent had given me the promised job, I wouldn’t have been lured into this war,” he said.
On Thursday, Ahmed’s family, including his wife, met Owaisi at the AIMIM headquarters and appealed for his help. In his letter to the Indian Embassy, Owaisi urged officials to take urgent steps to ensure Ahmed’s release and safe return to Hyderabad.
The Embassy of India in Moscow stated that it has taken up the matter with Russian authorities. Counsellor Tadu Mamu said Ahmed’s details have been shared with officials and that the Embassy has sought his release from any form of military custody. The Embassy assured that efforts are being made to bring him back safely and that his family will be informed of further developments. It also stated that the Embassy has been following up all cases of Indian nationals in the Russian Army on priority.
