A 30-year-old man from Udham Singh Nagar, Rakesh Kumar, is reportedly being forced to serve in the Russian army after travelling to Russia for higher studies. His family has not heard from him since early September and is seeking urgent assistance to bring him back home. Rakesh, a resident of Kushmoth village in Sitarganj tehsil, left for Russia on August 7 to study at St Petersburg University on a study visa.

Shortly after his arrival, he began expressing concerns about his situation. His elder brother, Deepu Maurya, revealed that their last conversation was on August 30, when Rakesh disclosed that he had been forcibly drafted into the Russian military and would soon be sent to the war front in Ukraine. Following that call, Rakesh's phone became unreachable.

The family later received a distressing photo of Rakesh in a military uniform, confirming their fears. A few days later, he managed to call from an unknown Russian number, stating that his passport and personal documents had been confiscated, his official emails deleted, and that he had undergone military training in the Donbas region before being deployed.

Deepu expressed their anguish, saying, "We do not even know if he is alive. We just want the govt to bring him back home safely." The family has reached out to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and local officials for help.

This incident is part of a troubling trend, as at least 20 other Indian nationals, primarily from Punjab and Haryana, have reported being misled into travelling to Russia under the guise of education or job opportunities, only to find themselves coerced into military service.