7 Punjab Men Say They Went To Russia As Tourists, Tricked Into Ukraine War

The seven men in this video are among nearly two dozen who are reportedly stranded in Russia, or are on the frontlines of the war; All claim they were tricked into fighting

A group of young men from Punjab's Hoshiarpur have appealed to the government for help, claiming they were duped into military service in Russia and have been to fight Moscow's war on Ukraine. 23-year-old man who said he is from #Gurdaspur#Punjab#GagandeepSingh called @ndtv@ndtvindia to appeal to @MEAIndia@states_mea@DrSJaishankar to help them return to India; says 7 of them who met in Russia may be deployed any time, without any training, to fight war in #Ukrainepic.twitter.com/re6eFuyY1v

In a 105-second video circulated on X (formerly Twitter) seven men are wearing military-style winter jackets with hoods, or skull caps. They are standing inside a dingy and dirty room with a closed (and locked) window at one end. Six of them are huddled in a corner while the seventh - understood to be Gagandeep Singh - records a video message explaining their situation and asking for help.

According to Mr Singh, they left for Russia on December 27 - to celebrate the New Year there. The men had a visa for the Russia trip - valid for 90 days - but then travelled to neighbouring Belarus.