A deeply distressing situation has come to light in Haryana, where two young men from Kumhariya village in Fatehabad district claim they were forcibly recruited into the Russian Army and sent to fight in Ukraine. The ordeal of Ankit Jangra and Vijay Poonia was revealed through a series of desperate videos and messages they sent to their families via WhatsApp, pleading for urgent help and rescue. The youths, visibly terrified and wearing military fatigues, stated they were abandoned in Ukrainian forests with a grim mission to “capture” territory. One of the messages, filled with despair, stated, “We have only 2-3 days left. Whoever goes ahead from here does not come back.”
The families of the two youths have now escalated the matter, bringing it to the attention of high-ranking officials. On Tuesday, relatives met with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who assured them that he would take up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs. The families also sought help from the local administration, approaching the Fatehabad Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Vivek Bharti, and political leaders like Rajya Sabha MP Ramchandra Jangra and former MP Sunita Duggal.
According to Ankit’s brother, Raghuvir, Ankit traveled to Moscow in February 2025 on a student visa to learn the Russian language. He later found a job at a local fast-food chain. Vijay also went to Russia on a student visa in 2024 and had even returned to India twice before securing a one-year business visa in July 2025. The families allege that a woman lured the youths with promises of a lucrative security job with a monthly salary of ₹2.5 lakh. She arranged their travel, made them sign documents in Russian, and allegedly threatened them when they attempted to use translation apps. Subsequently, they were forced into military uniforms and sent for a brief, ten-day weapon training before being deployed to the frontline.
The situation is part of a larger, tragic narrative, as the youths’ messages suggest that their group consisted of 15 members from various Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir, of whom only five or six are reportedly still alive. This revelation underscores the grave danger faced by these young men and highlights the urgent need for a coordinated rescue operation. The families remain in a state of anguish, desperately hoping for a safe return.
