A recent development in the ongoing conflict saw an Indian national, who had been fighting with the Russian military, surrender to Ukrainian forces. The announcement was made by the 63rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian military on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
A video released by the Ukrainian military on its Telegram channel features the individual, identified as 22-year-old Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein from Gujarat, India. This incident has immediately caught the attention of Indian officials, with the Indian Embassy in Kyiv reportedly working to verify the details, as no formal communication has yet been received from Ukrainian authorities.
According to Hussein’s account in the video, he initially traveled to Russia for university studies. However, he faced drug-related charges, leading to a seven-year prison sentence. To avoid imprisonment, he claims he was offered a contract to join the Russian military for what was termed a ‘special military operation’.
Hussein stated, “I didn’t want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the special military operation. But I wanted to get out of there.” After a brief 16-day training period, he was deployed on his first combat mission on October 1. After three days of combat and an altercation with his commander, he made the decision to surrender.
He recounted approaching a Ukrainian trench position, explaining, “I immediately put down my rifle and said that I didn’t want to fight. I needed help. I don’t want to go back to Russia.” The 63rd Mechanised Brigade corroborated parts of his story in their Telegram post, confirming that Hussein, a student in Russia, was involved with drugs before joining the war to avoid jail time.
This event comes amidst ongoing efforts by India to address the presence of its citizens within Russian military ranks. Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed it had urged Russia to release and repatriate 27 Indian nationals serving with the Russian Army. Reports have surfaced indicating that several Indians on student and business visas have allegedly been coerced into joining Russian military units fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine.
India has consistently called on Russia to ensure the release of all Indian citizens working as support staff, such as cooks and helpers, with Russian military units. This issue was also a key point of discussion during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia last year. Official figures suggest that over 150 Indian nationals have been recruited by the Russian military. Tragically, at least 12 Indians have reportedly lost their lives in the conflict, while 96 have been discharged by Russian authorities, and 16 remain missing.