2024-04-22 08:45:00
New Delhi (CNN) One Sunday at the end of March, people opened the boxes. It was my first reunion in four months with Asfan Mohammed (31), who left India for Russia.
Mr. Asfan was better dressed than when he left the country. Rather than the casual outfit he wore when accompanied by family and friends, he wore a black suit, white shirt, tie, and shoes.
However, they must be buried according to Islamic teachings. To prepare the body, neat clothing was removed.
At that time, Imran Mohammad (41) saw the tragedy that had befallen his younger brother, who was fighting in a Russian military unit during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
“I might see holes in my back, from my shoulders down to my sides and my hips,” Imran told CNN.
“There were six or seven holes created by the drone attack. My brother’s body was torn apart. His internal organs were also damaged. Two of his teeth were knocked out.”
A family who lived happily together in Hyderabad, southern India, has been torn apart. She lost her husband, her father and the breadwinner.
Imran’s shop was also dilapidated and dilapidated. The store had been neglected as he devoted all his energy to searching for news of his brother, who was on Europe’s deadliest battlefield since World War II.
Imran mentioned the time of day.
“I opened the coffin on Sunday at 11 a.m. When I saw the body for the first time, I realized that my brother was no longer in this world.”
“My efforts to find my brother, the two months I spent fighting for him, came to a tragic end. Looking at his body, I mightn’t react even if I wanted to. J I was completely stunned.”
lost dream
Asfan met an unexpected fate. When Putin ordered the Russian army to invade Ukraine in February 2022, even his family mightn’t have imagined it would happen.
At the time, Asfan, a father of two, was working as a store manager at Allen Solly, an Indian clothing chain with around 300 stores in the country. They sold everything from children’s clothing to wedding tuxedos.
According to Imran, Asfan had worked there for eight years.
It wasn’t a bad job, but Asfan wanted to provide a good life for his wife and two children, a two-year-old and an eight-month-old. My dream was to leave Hyderabad with my family.
Imran said Asfan “wanted to work in Australia,” where his wife’s sisters and family live. “My in-laws were calling me too.”
However, to do this, Asfan must score well on IELTS, a private English test that assesses foreigners’ English proficiency.
“My younger brother took IELTS, but his score was not good,” Imran said. “My brother lost his motivation, but he tried once more.”
According to Imran, things didn’t go well the second time either.
Asfan’s body was returned to India in March/Mohammed Imran
However, following seeing a YouTube video showcasing job opportunities in Russia, Asfan regained hope and contacted an employment agency.
“I had planned to work in Russia as a taxi driver or delivery boy. That’s what I had in mind,” Imran said.
“Then, a few days later, the agent told me that a position had become available for the Russian Army as a casual agent and security guard. The agent reminded me that it was a unexpected job. Within a year, I would receive a Russian passport and a national ID card. I was told that if I did this, I might go to neighboring countries.” (Imran)
Imran said Asfan believed this might be the first step towards realizing his family’s dream in Australia.
Instead, Asfan’s choice sent him to a frozen, war-torn Ukraine.
brainwashing
According to Imran, Asfan kept his travel plans a secret from his family and friends until the last moment, when he might no longer back out. Imran learned of Asfan’s departure on November 9, three days before he left for Russia.
At that time, Asfan had already paid more than $1,800 (around 280,000 yen at the current exchange rate) to the broker. The company told him not to tell his family regarding his trip.
“My brother was completely brainwashed. He was warned from the Russian airport that he might be deported,” Imran said. “I tried with all my might to stop my brother.”
After passing through several cities in India and the United Arab Emirates, Asfan arrived in Moscow on November 12.
According to Imran, Asfan signed the employment contract the next day. As it was written in Russian, Asfan might not read it.
“My brother trusted the entrepreneur a little too much” (Imran)
Ukrainian soldiers prepare for a bombing in March, near Kremina, Ukraine/Inna Varenytsia/Reuters
Foreign soldiers fighting in Putin’s war
By some estimates, Russia has put thousands of foreign troops on the ground since Mr. Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Most foreign soldiers are young Southeast Asians lured by the promise of stable employment and high pay in Russia. In Nepal, former foreign minister and leading opposition lawmaker Bimala Rai Paudyal told parliament last month that between 14,000 and 5,000 Nepalis were fighting on the front lines, citing testimony from a man returned from Ukraine.
Last year, the Russian government announced an attractive plan for recruiting foreign soldiers, providing for a monthly salary of more than $2,000 and priority acquisition of Russian citizenship. However, the Russian government has not revealed how many foreigners have been recruited under this program.
The Indian government has maintained close ties with the Russian government since the Cold War and generally avoids outright condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier.
India is also a major customer of Russian crude oil. Last year alone, it purchased a record $37 billion worth of oil, lining the Russian government’s pockets and becoming a key revenue source for the country’s sanctioned economy.
However, India has no law prohibiting its citizens from serving in foreign armies, and the Indian government is aware that large numbers of Indian citizens are joining Russian forces in the fighting in Ukraine.
India’s foreign ministry issued a statement in February saying the early release of Indians serving in the Russian military was “a top priority.” In an interview with CNN last month, he said he was continuing to communicate with Russian authorities to make the plan a reality.
But for some, these efforts come too late. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson told CNN that at least two Indians had been killed in combat.
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced in early March that it had uncovered a large-scale human trafficking ring that had lured Indians into serving in the Russian army and had identified 35 victims.
“The trafficked Indian nationals were given combat training and sent once morest their will to the front lines where Russia and Ukraine are fighting,” the CBI said in a statement.
Let’s go to the front line
According to Imran, Asfan did not tell him when he would be deployed to Ukraine. However, on December 1, as he was preparing to go to the battlefield, he was contacted.
Imran said Asfan was looking for a way to escape.
“My brother asked me to speak to the broker,” Imran said. “I promised to do everything I might.”
It was the last time the two spoke.
According to Imran, “the military had no contact with the subcontractors.”
“The middlemen defrauded the young men and put their lives in danger,” Imran said, referring to the many Indians like Asfan who were sent to war.
A few weeks of anxiety and an unexpected situation
On January 23, Imran received a reply message from one of the Indians sent to the front with Asfan.
The man, who said he was injured in the fight, said he found Asfan at his residence in Ukraine the day before. Asfan was also injured.
The man said he was unable to evacuate Asfan “because he was surrounded by drones”, but informed Russian military medical teams of Asfan’s condition.
The Ukrainian military has achieved significant success on the front line by using modified civilian drones to attack Russian troops, dropping grenades from the air and using them as remote-controlled bombs.
Two days following receiving the message, Imran met members of parliament and urged Indian authorities to help the injured Asfan. However, their appeals to the government were in vain.
The final response from the Indian embassy in Moscow was that it was currently investigating.
On March 6, Imran returned to the MP’s office and received the news he had been dreading.
A photo of Asfan (right) and Imran taken before leaving for Russia/Mohammed Imran
“I called the emergency number of the Indian embassy. As soon as I gave Asfan’s name on the phone, they told me that my brother was dead. I didn’t have the energy to respond,” Imran said.
“I didn’t want to believe what the embassy was saying.”
Although there is no evidence confirming Asfan’s death, Imran had to break the news to the rest of his family.
Imran said Asfan’s wife “lost consciousness for three hours.” “I cried all night.”
Asfan’s body was buried by his family, traumatized by the distant war.
Imran says it pains him to see young children growing up without knowing their father. I can’t predict my own future either.
“It’s been like this every day for four months,” Imran said. “I have never experienced such a difficult time before. I no longer had time for myself. I lost contact with my friends. I had no choice but to provide for my family. “
A member of my family, my younger brother, has left this world forever.
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