In a growing humanitarian crisis, families of youths from Punjab and Haryana who were allegedly trafficked to the Russia-Ukraine war have accused both the Central and state governments of a “systemic failure” to crack down on the travel agents responsible.
According to reports, at least 15 youths from Punjab have been taken to Russia since June on the pretext of jobs, only to be forced into military service. Two youths from Haryana’s Fatehabad district also recently released a distress video from Ukraine, claiming similar recruitment into the Russian army. This is happening despite repeated requests from India to Moscow to stop the recruitment of its nationals.
Relatives of several stranded youths, who were accompanied by Congress MLA Pargat Singh to Chandigarh, shared their harrowing experiences. Jagdeep Kumar of Jalandhar, whose brother Mandeep is stuck in Ukraine, claimed that at least five of the recent recruits have died, while three are missing. He said the youths have been making frantic calls to the Indian embassy in Russia but have received little response. Another family member alleged that the compensation for those killed or missing is being siphoned off by the travel agents who sent them.
MLA Pargat Singh called for an immediate and aggressive response from the government. He emphasized that the Punjab Police have been unable to track down these agents and that the issue has not been taken seriously despite being raised with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Singh demanded a direct diplomatic engagement with Russian authorities to secure the release and safe return of all those stranded. He also called for immediate legal proceedings under trafficking laws against the complicit travel agents and the formation of a joint task force to end this exploitation.