Punjab News: Congress Slams Centre Over Punjabis Forcibly Recruited Into The Russian Army
Out of them, 5 youths have died, 3 are missing, and 7 have been forcibly kept in the army.
Punjab News Congress Slams Centre Over Punjabis Forcibly Recruited Into Russian Army latest News; All India Congress Committee Secretary and MLA Padma Shri Pargat Singh, during a press conference at Punjab Congress Bhavan on Thursday, targeted the BJP-led central government and Punjab’s AAP government over the major issue of Punjabis being forcibly recruited into the Russian army.
He alleged that despite the advisory from the Ministry of External Affairs, for the past one and a half years, the Russian government has been forcibly recruiting Indian youths—especially from Punjab and Haryana—into its army and pushing them towards death in the Russia-Ukraine war without providing them with proper training.
Citing to the family members of missing Punjabi youths, Padma Shri Pargat Singh revealed that despite the claims of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy, the recruitment into the Russian army has not stopped.
In July 2025, 15 Punjabi youths reached Russia, and in August 2025, they were recruited into the Russian army. Out of them, 5 youths have died, 3 are missing, and 7 have been forcibly kept in the army.
There are around 126 youths from the states of North India who have been forcibly recruited into the Russian army. About 15 missing youths have not been traced so far, and only one body has been recovered. Neither the central government nor the state governments are taking any concrete steps to locate these youths.
Pargat Singh said that the central government and the Indian Embassy must immediately contact the Russian government and its embassy and take strict action in this matter. He said that the youths of Punjab cannot be left to die. This is not just the pain of a few families in Punjab, but the pain of the entire Punjab and North India. If the central and Punjab governments do not act on this issue, the Congress will not remain silent.
He demanded that the central government provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased youths. Immediate and strict action should be taken with the Russian government to trace the missing youths. Compensation should be given to the families of those who died. In addition, the recruitment of youths into the Russian army must be stopped immediately. Merely issuing advisories by the Indian Embassy or the Ministry of External Affairs is not enough. The Punjab government should also register FIRs against travel agents, break their networks, and take strict action.
He questioned whether the Punjab government has taken strict action against the fraudulent agents. Why have no cases been registered against them so far? Why is a thorough investigation not being conducted into the fraudulent foreign employment agencies operating in Punjab?
Agents are running networks, and they even have access to the youths’ ATM cards.
The Indian agents, along with those based in Russia who administer intoxicating substances, are the ones trapping these youths. Not only this, but after recruitment, these agents are also withholding the salaries meant for the youths and the insurance money meant for the families of the deceased. Neither the Punjab government nor the central government has taken any action against these agents.
Jagdeep Singh, a resident of Goraya (Jalandhar), who has been searching for his missing brother Mandeep Singh for more than one and a half years, has made several revelations while running for justice.
He alleged that the Indian Embassy is not listening to him, even though he is in continuous contact with the youths trapped in the Russian army. Jagdeep said that MLA Pargat Singh provided him with financial assistance to travel to Russia in search of his brother Mandeep. Because of this, he was able to go to Russia, collect documents, and continue his fight for justice for his brother.
Parminder Kaur, wife of Tejpal from Amritsar—who was forcibly sent into war in the Russian army—tearfully shared that her husband had gone to Russia in January 2024 in search of work. There too, he was forcibly recruited into the army. He died there, but even after one and a half years, his body has not been found.
She said that at her own expense, she went to Russia and tried to search for her husband’s body. She hired a private lawyer and filed a case against the Russian government. As a result, only three months ago, the Russian government handed her husband’s death certificate, but his body has still not been recovered.
Neither the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy, nor the Punjab government in Moscow or Delhi helped her. She is fighting for justice on her own.
“Forced into the Army on the Pretext of a Courier Job” – Sarabjit Singh
Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Amritsar, recounted his ordeal of how he reached Russia on April 6, 2024, along with a batch of 18 people. Agents had promised him a job in a courier company with a monthly salary of 90,000 rupees and sent him there. But as soon as he arrived, he was forcibly recruited into the Russian army.
He somehow survived after fighting on the front lines in the Ukraine war and managed to return to India. During this entire period, the Indian Embassy did not provide him with any help.
(For more news apart from “Punjab Counter Intelligence busts cross-border smuggling network, Two arrested, Weapons recovered,” stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)