National Uttar Pradesh

Three UP men missing in Russia, families allege forced army recruitment

Three men from western Uttar Pradesh are missing in Russia, with their families alleging their passports were confiscated and they were forced into the Russian Army fighting in Ukraine. Relatives of Himanshu Sharma, 24, and Shakti Punder, 23, of Muzaffarnagar, and Ashu Saini, 25, of Shamli, said contact was lost after July 30. A Shamli-based agent charged each ₹3.5 lakh for student visas. Over 30 Indians have died serving with the Russian military in Ukraine.

Written by AI from Hindustan Times — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 15 Sept 2026, 12:30 pm IST

Source

Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗

#missing indians#russia#ukraine war#uttar pradesh#human trafficking

Desk check · some claims need care

What the desk checked (5)

Three men — Himanshu Sharma (24) and Shakti Punder (23) of Muzaffarnagar, and Ashu Saini (25) of Shamli — are untraceable since July 30. — Names, ages and date appear in source, attributed to the families.
Their passports were confiscated and they were forced to join the Russian Army. — Alleged claim relayed by families from the men's last phone calls; not independently confirmed in source.
A Shamli-based agent charged each ₹3.5 lakh, promising student visas and part-time work. — Figure appears in source, attributed to the families; police are examining the agent's role.
Over 30 Indians have died serving with the Russian military in Ukraine. — Stated in source without a named source; repeated twice in the text.
The external affairs ministry in July said India is pursuing the release of about two dozen Indians in the Russian Army; the Supreme Court took up a plea by kin of 26 Indians. — Attributed to the ministry and court proceedings in the source.

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Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 6 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Three young men from western Uttar Pradesh who went to Moscow on student visas for a Russian language course have gone missing since late July, with their families alleging their passports were confiscated and they were forced into the Russian Army fighting in Ukraine. The men reportedly paid a Shamli-based agent ₹3.5 lakh each on promises of student visas and permissible part-time work. Their case is part of a wider pattern: over 30 Indians have died serving with the Russian military on the Ukraine frontlines, and the Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by relatives of 26 Indians lured into military service. In July, the Ministry of External Affairs said it was pursuing the release of around two dozen Indian nationals with authorities in Moscow.

Key facts

Three men missing in Russia: Himanshu Sharma, 24, and Shakti Punder, 23, of Muzaffarnagar, and Ashu Saini, 25, of Shamli.
Families have been unable to contact the three since July 30, after panicked phone calls from Moscow.
A Shamli-based agent charged each of the three ₹3.5 lakh, promising student visas and permissible part-time employment.
All three were pursuing a Russian language course in Moscow and travelled to Russia separately.
Ashu Saini left for Russia in April after completing his intermediate studies; Sharma and Punder were due to return in August as their one-year visas expired.
Over 30 Indians have died so far while serving with the Russian military on the frontlines in Ukraine.
In July, the Ministry of External Affairs said India is pursuing the release of around two dozen Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army with authorities in Moscow.
The Supreme Court took up a petition filed by relatives of 26 Indians who went to Russia in 2024-2025 on tourist and student visas and were allegedly lured into military service.

Timeline

2024-202526 Indians travel to Russia on tourist and student visas and are allegedly induced by recruitment agents into military service, per the Supreme Court petition.
April (year as in source)Ashu Saini, 25, leaves for Russia after completing his intermediate studies.
Late JulyIn their last conversations, the three men allegedly tell families their passports were taken and they were being forced into military service.
JulyThe external affairs ministry says India is pursuing the release of around two dozen Indian nationals in the Russian Army with Moscow; the Supreme Court takes up the kin's petition.
July 30Families lose contact with all three men after panicked phone calls from Moscow.
August (scheduled)Sharma and Punder were due to return home as their one-year visas expired.

Who has a stake

Families of Himanshu Sharma, Shakti Punder and Ashu Saini — Seeking the whereabouts and safe return of their sons; living in "total uncertainty" after losing contact since July 30.
Rakesh Kumar, Ashu Saini's father (a farmer) — Has approached the Prime Minister's Office seeking urgent intervention.
Vipin Kumar, Shakti Punder's father — Has sought help from the district administration and the Uttar Pradesh government to trace his son.
Ministry of External Affairs — Pursuing with Moscow the release of around two dozen Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army.
Supreme Court of India — Hearing a petition by relatives of 26 Indians allegedly lured into Russian military service on tourist and student visas.
Police / Shamli-based agent — Police are examining the role of the agent who allegedly arranged the travel of the three men for ₹3.5 lakh each.
Uttar Pradesh government and district administration — Asked by families to trace the missing men and act on the recruitment network.

Why it matters

The case shows how young Indians from small towns, seeking study-cum-work opportunities abroad, can end up on a foreign battlefield after paying agents lakhs of rupees. With over 30 Indians already dead in Ukraine while serving with the Russian military and 26 cases before the Supreme Court, the issue links migrant fraud, passport confiscation and India's diplomatic leverage with Moscow. It raises questions about regulation of overseas recruitment agents and the safety of Indian nationals in conflict zones.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Over 30 Indians have died serving with the Russian military on the Ukraine frontlines, as per the source.
The Supreme Court is hearing a petition by relatives of 26 Indians who went to Russia in 2024-2025 on tourist and student visas.
In July, the Ministry of External Affairs said it was pursuing the release of about two dozen Indians in the Russian Army with Moscow.
The three missing men are from Muzaffarnagar (Himanshu Sharma, Shakti Punder) and Shamli (Ashu Saini) districts of western Uttar Pradesh.
Each of the three paid a Shamli-based agent ₹3.5 lakh for student visas and promised part-time work.
Contact with the three was lost after July 30; they were on one-year visas for a Russian language course in Moscow.

Mains framing

The disappearance of three western Uttar Pradesh youths in Russia illustrates a chain of vulnerabilities: aspirational migration from small towns, unregulated recruitment agents charging ₹3.5 lakh each for student visas with promises of part-time work, and the alleged confiscation of passports abroad that strips migrants of any exit option. That over 30 Indians have died on the Ukraine frontlines while serving with the Russian military, and that relatives of 26 Indians have taken the matter to the Supreme Court, indicates the problem is systemic rather than isolated. The implications span consular protection, criminal liability of agents, and the delicacy of raising forced recruitment with a strategic partner: the external affairs ministry said in July it was pursuing the release of about two dozen nationals with authorities in Moscow. A way forward, on the facts available, would combine sustained diplomatic pursuit of releases and repatriation, police action against agent networks such as the one under investigation in Shamli, verified pre-departure information for students on visa conditions and permissible work, and a single responsive grievance channel for families who, as Vipin Kumar put it, "live in total uncertainty" after writing to authorities.

Key terms

Student visa: A visa permitting study in a foreign country, here for a one-year Russian language course in Moscow, with limited permissible part-time employment.
Recruitment agent: Intermediary arranging overseas travel and placement; a Shamli-based agent allegedly charged each youth ₹3.5 lakh and is under police scrutiny.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA): India's foreign ministry, which said in July it was pursuing with Moscow the release of around two dozen Indians serving in the Russian Army.
Prime Minister's Office (PMO): The executive office approached by Ashu Saini's father, Rakesh Kumar, seeking urgent intervention in the case.
Passport confiscation: Withholding of a person's travel document, alleged here as the means by which the men were unable to leave and were pushed into military service.

Practice questions

Examine how unregulated overseas recruitment intermediaries expose Indian youth to trafficking and forced military service abroad. What safeguards does the case of the three missing UP men suggest are needed?
Discuss the challenges India faces in protecting nationals allegedly forced into a foreign army during an active conflict, with reference to the MEA's efforts in Moscow and the Supreme Court petition by relatives of 26 Indians.
"Migration aspiration without information is a security risk." Critically analyse in the light of Indians recruited into the Russian military on student and tourist visas.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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