A Kerala man who was forced to fight for a Russian mercenary force for several months was killed during a gunfight on Monday.
The man was identified as Binil TB, 32, a native of Thrissur in Kerala. The Indian embassy informed his family about his death on Monday.
Another Malayali was also reportedly fighting for the mercenary group. One of them, Jain, also from Thrissur, was shifted to Moscow after he got injured in a shelling attack by Ukrainian forces.
Jain was admitted to a hospital in the Russian capital two days ago. He reportedly spoke to his family via WhatsApp call, reported Onmanorama.
The youths had travelled to Russia in April for jobs in the military support service as cooks, drivers, electricians and plumbers. However, once they reached Russia, they were forced to give up their Indian passports and apply for permanent residence. Soon they were conscripted into a Russian mercenary force and fight on the frontlines.
Indian Orthodox Church head Baselios Marthoma Mathews III has reportedly urged Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov to immediately intevene to facilitate the return of the Indian nationals.
Another person from Thrikkur in Thrissur, Sandeep Chandran, was killed in a shell attack on August 19. He along with five others travelled to Russia on April 2, 2024, to work as cooks, cleaners and electricians at cafe in Pula, Moscow.
Three other youths from Anchuthengu in Thiruvananthapuram, Prince, Vineeth and Tinu, have also been stuck in Russia. Among the trio, Prince had suffered a head injury. They went to Russia on the promise of security jobs with a remuneration of Rs 2 lakh per month.
The CBI had raided several agencies that recruited Indians to the war-torn country.
