Ludhiana man dies after being 'forced' into Russia-Ukraine war

Ludhiana: A 21-year-old man from Ludhiana, who was alllegedly lured to Russia in July 2025 with a job promise, has died after being deceived into joining their army and sent to the frontline in an ongoing war with Ukraine, his family said.

The mortal remains of Samarjeet Singh arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Thursday and were subsequently brought to Ludhiana, where his family performed the last rites on Friday evening.

Charanjit Singh, Samarjeet's father, blamed agents who lure youngsters with false job offers in Russia and then get them recruited into the Russian Army.

He said his son was recruited into the Russian Army without any prior military training.

Charanjit said he last spoke to his son in September, after which Samarjeet went missing. Later, the family pleaded with leaders, including MLAs, for their assistance to bring back their son.

Videos, showing Samarjeet, along with some other Indians, surfaced on social media last September appealing to the Indian government for rescuing them, claiming that they were sent to the frontline for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war without proper training.

Charanjit, who runs a small grocery shop, revealed that his son went to Russia to support the family, and he had borrowed money to send him abroad.

The family had approached many leaders seeking help to bring Samarjeet back to India.

Charanjit further said that neither Russia nor the Indian and Punjab governments had reached out to the family regarding compensation.