"Two days after the prime minister (Narendra Modi) visited Russia, they sent Gagandeep back to the war front. We haven't been able to contact him. He only told us this when he came back to the army camp for some work, a few days later," said Gagandeep's brother Mandeep Singh, sounding worried about his fate.
He told The Quint over a phone call that the family – back in Punjab's Gurdaspur district – again lost all contact with Gagandeep for the next few days, only to get a second distressing message from him on Sunday, 14 July.
Gagandeep Singh has been sent at the frontline to fight Russia's war in Ukraine. His family awaits his return.
(Photo provided by family)
The same day, replying to a query of The Quint, Gagandeep said in a WhatsApp voice note:
"Sir update ki milni mainu, mainu war ch lai ke gaye ne dobara. Mai otho Commander de naal aya hoya saman lain vaaste, 1-2 ghante layi, te assi fer mud ke agge chale jana." ('Sir, forget about any update (on my return), they took me back to the war (front). Today, I have come back (to the army camp) for a few hours to fetch some things with our Commander, and we'll again be taken back to the frontline.')
Since Sunday, Gagandeep's WhatsApp has not been receiving any messages — an indication that this Indian national working in the Russian Army could have again been sent to an incommunicado war zone, just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bilateral visit to Russia on 8-9 July.
'Boisterous' Media Reports, But No Update on Return
23-year-old Gagandeep is not alone.
He, along with six other Indian nationals hailing from parts of Punjab and Haryana, was allegedly "duped" by a travel agent into joining the Russian Army as a 'helper' in January this year, and later "forced" into fighting the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Quint has been in constant touch with these seven men and their families since they released the first video appeal, seeking their release, in March this year.
As hugs were exchanged between PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and amid 'boisterous' source-based media reports that the stranded Indians would now quickly be rescued by the authorities; a week later, none of these seven men or their families have received any update on their rescue from the government.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has maintained that during the visit, PM Modi raised the issue of Indians fighting alongside the Russian Army with President Putin.
“The prime minister strongly raised the issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who have been misled into the service of the Russian Army. The Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian Army,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said in a press briefing on Tuesday, 9 July.
'MEA, Embassy Unresponsive For Months'
While these seven men – Punjab's Gagandeep, Gurpreet, Gurpreet, Lovepreet and Narain, and Haryana's Harsh and Abhishek – were "duped" into joining the Russian Army, many were also "lured" by travel agents in various job scams.
Foreign Secretary Kwatra added in the 9 July presser, that while New Delhi was not aware of the specific number of Indians serving in the Russian army, the figure was anticipated to be between 35 and 50.
“Out of which, we have managed to bring 10 Indian nationals back to India through very active efforts on our own and also in partnership with the Russian system,” Kwatra added.
However, the MEA has not yet disclosed the details of these 10 Indians, or how they were brought back.
The families of these seven men have, time and again, also complained about how the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Moscow have been unresponsive to their queries on multiple occasions.
In April this year, as reported by The Quint, these families had also visited the MEA in New Delhi, seeking rescue of their kids. They were then assured by certain officials that the seven men would be brought back to India "at the earliest".
Talking to The Quint over WhatsApp, Karnal's Harsh Kumar, 20, said that while he was doing menial jobs at a Russian Army base camp, it was still uncertain when he will be rescued.
"The Indian Embassy (in Moscow) doesn't tell us anything, whenever we ring them up, all they say is that they don't have any update for us," Harsh texted us on 14 July.
Asked if anyone from the MEA or the Embassy tried to establish contact with them in the last six months that they have been "trapped" there, Harsh said "No, nobody has contacted us".
"Bhai wo 5 mhina sa srif 1 he baat bol rha ha ke hamra pass koi update nhi ha (Brother, for the last five months, they (authorities) have just been saying that they don't have any update)", Harsh added in a text message.
"When the PM was visiting here, we were hopeful he will talk about our rescue. But we don't have any update on this yet," Harsh later added.
Harsh told The Quint on 14 July that the Indian Embassy in Moscow shares no updates with them.
(Photo: The Quint/Screengrab of WhatsApp chat)
Mortal Remains of Indian Killed in Russia Yet to be Brought Back
Meanwhile, the base camp where these Indian men are serving has now moved further into Ukraine.
The live location shared by Harsh on WhatsApp took us to Tokmak in the war-torn Zaporizhzhia region, almost 200 miles away from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Harsh is currently in a Russian army base camp in Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia, almost 200 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border.
(Photo: Screengrab of Google Maps)
Tokmak raises alarm bells also because it is the place where 29-year-old Tejpal Singh had died fighting the Russia-Ukraine war in March this year.
Tejpal's wife Parminder Kaur told The Quint that the body of his dead husband was yet to brought back from the war-torn country, a month after the news of his death reached home in Punjab's Amritsar in June.
The Quint had earlier reported how Tejpal's family didn't know about his fate for at least three months after his death. Apart from his wife, he leaves behind two kids – six-year-old son Armaandeep Singh, and three-year-old daughter Gurnazdeep Kaur — and parents and an ailing grandfather.
His family eagerly awaits the return of his mortal remains, yearning to get some closure after his death.
Tejpal is among the four Indians to have been killed in action while fighting Russia's war in Ukraine.
Amritsar's Tejpal Singh died fighting the Russia-Ukraine war in March. His family got to know about his fate in June.
(Photo provided by family)
Apart from Amritsar's Tejpal Singh, two more deceased were identified as Surat's Hemil Mangukiya and Hyderabad's Mohammed Asfan – the remains of both of them were brought back to India and cremated earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the fourth deceased is yet to be identified.
Kin's Hopes with PM's Visit Now Lie 'Shattered'
Meanwhile, back in Gurdaspur's Dehriwal Kiran village, a pall of gloom has descended upon the home of Gagandeep Singh, as his fate hangs by a thread.
His brother Mandeep said, "When PM visited Russia, the media was reporting that they will be brought back. Villagers even started congratulating us that your kid will now be brought back. But just two days later, he was sent back to the frontline. We don't know what will happen to him..."
The family of Narain Singh, hailing from Punjab's Nawanshahr, is facing a similar predicament.
But just like Harsh's brother Sahil Kumar, Narain's brother Lakhwinder Singh is thankful that his kin are at least safe for now, serving at a Russian army base camp somewhere in war-torn Ukraine, where they can talk over social media every once in a while.
(A personal appeal: The Quint has been actively covering the case of these seven stranded men, along with that of several others who were duped into fighting the Russia-Ukraine war in various job scams. You can read our reports at the 'Trapped in Russia' segment of our website. If you like the work we are doing, consider becoming a Member, and support independent journalism!)
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