'Stuck as war criminal': Indian student, held by Ukraine amid war, urges PM Modi for help in returning home

Ahmedabad: A 23-year-old resident of Morbi town in Gujarat, who is reported to have been held as a war criminal by the Ukrainian authority, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in two video messages, asking for help to return home. 

In the fresh video clips shared by his family, Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, claimed that he is in the custody of Ukrainian army for allegedly fighting alongside the Russian army on a contract basis.

Majothi is reported to have enlisted in the Russian army to avoid seven-year prison sentence he was serving having been found guilty in a narcotics case; charges that he denied.

His news came after the Ukrainian military in early October released a video of Majothi in which he was heard saying, "I didn't want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract. But I wanted to get out of there."

It was reported that he was sent to war front after undergoing 16 days of training and surrendered after three days.  

"Namaskar. My name is Sahil Mohammedhusen Majothi. I am from Morbi city of Gujarat state. I came to Russia in 2024 to study, but due to some financial and visa problems, I got caught up in some issues. I came in contract with some people in Russia and ended up getting trapped in a drug case. I was sentenced to 7 years in prison in Russia for something I didn’t do. Under the influence of the police in jail, I signed a contract to fight in the Russian-Ukrainian war, which was a huge mistake. Because of this, I am now stuck in Ukraine as a war criminal, and at the moment I feel hopeless, not knowing what will happen. But, I want to send a message to Indian citizens coming to Russia, especially those who want to come here for higher studies or work...be careful because there are many scammers... And, stay away from this war. Also, I want to appeal to the Indian government, prime minister Modi saheb, and S Jaishankar saheb, please help if possible. That's all," Majothi said in one of the video messages in Hindi.

In the second video, he is heard saying that he is being held in a Ukrainian military jail. He also mentions that he signed the contract to fight for Russia to avoid prison, which was his "biggest mistake". In the background of the video is the logo in Ukrainian meaning, "I want to live", which is part of government's "Coordination of Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War."

According to Sahil's mother, Hasinaben, he went to Russia for higher studies at ITMO University in St. Petersburg in November of last year. To support himself, he took up a part-time job as a courier. However, he was caught with a parcel containing narcotic substances and was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison. Sahil is reported to have to joined against Ukraine in an attempt to escape the jail term and accordingly surrendered sometime between October 1 and October 5. Sahil is said to be one of the 202 Indians recruited by the Russian army in its fight against Ukraine. In response to questions over number of Indians in the Russian army, the union government on December 18 stated in the Rajya Sabha that "202 Indian nationals are believed to have been recruited into the Russian armed forces." 

It said that 119 of them have been discharged while 26 are reported to have lost their lives while seven are reported missing by the Russian side."

Efforts are ongoing for early discharge of 50 individuals.

The Ministry has provided assistance in repatriation of mortal remains of 10 deceased Indian nationals to India, and local cremation of two deceased Indian nationals. DNA samples of family members of 18 Indians, who were reported dead or missing, have been shared with the Russian authorities in an effort to help establish the identity of some of the deceased Indian nationals," minister of state, Ministry of External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, said in the response to questions raised by Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale and Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala.