Indian student trades drug charge for Russian army service, surrenders to Ukraine

Majoti Sahil Mohammed Hussein, a 22‑year‑old from Gujarat who travelled to Russia for further studies, joined the Russian military in what he claimed was a bid to avoid serving a prison sentence in a drug case. He reportedly did not intend to fight, but planned to surrender once he could reach the Ukraine border.

Gujarat Police confirmed on Wednesday that Hussein, a native of Morbi town, surrendered to Ukrainian forces after fighting alongside Russian troops.

When reporters visited his Morbi home, his mother declined to comment, locked the house, and left for an undisclosed location to seek privacy. Later, his maternal uncle Abdul Ibrahim Majoti appeared and urged the Central government to bring back Hussein and other Indians stranded in conflict zones.

Abdul said the family had little clarity about Hussein’s situation. “Sahil (Hussein) went abroad for higher studies. We are not aware of what happened to him there,” he said. He added that Hussein lived with his mother and maternal grandparents, and that his mother had been separated from his father for twenty years. He appealed to the government to facilitate his return.

According to a preliminary investigation, inspector-general Ashok Kumar Yadav of the Rajkot Range said Hussein had been imprisoned in Russia in the past in a drug‑related case. Local authorities are investigating how and when he procured travel documents and exploring his possible affiliations.

The Ukrainian military announced that an Indian national fighting alongside Russian forces had surrendered. In a video released by Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanised Brigade, Hussein claimed he “didn’t want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract... But I wanted to get out of there”.

He said after only 16 days of training, he was deployed to the frontline, but following a dispute with his commander, he surrendered. “I came across a Ukrainian trench position about two or three kilometres away. I immediately put down my rifle and said I didn’t want to fight. I needed help. I don’t want to go back to Russia,” he said.

So far, there has been no official confirmation from India’s external affairs ministry. Sources say the Indian embassy in Kyiv is working to verify his claims. The ministry had previously stated that India had urged Russia to release and repatriate 27 Indian nationals reportedly serving in the Russian Army.

There have also been reports that some Indian nationals on student or business visas were coerced into joining Russian military units on the frontlines of the Ukraine war.