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- On March 3, 2024, Mandeep called us from a Russian number and said he had been enlisted in the Russian army and feared for his life,” he said.
- Instead, he has been urging the Union government and the Punjab government to take urgent steps to halt what he described as the continued recruitment of Indian youths into the Russian forces.
- Goraya in Punjab’s Jalandhar district was plunged into grief late Saturday night when the mortal remains of a 30-year-old man, missing for more than a year and a half, were brought back from Russia.
Goraya in Punjab’s Jalandhar district was plunged into grief late Saturday night when the mortal remains of a 30-year-old man, missing for more than a year and a half, were brought back from Russia. DNA analysis has confirmed that Mandeep Kumar, who was allegedly duped by travel agents into joining the Russian army, was killed in a drone strike while fighting on the Ukraine front.
Mandeep’s brother, Jagdeep Kumar, said the confirmation came after months of desperate effort, repeated travel to Russia and multiple DNA submissions. According to Jagdeep, Mandeep lost his life in November 2025 during a drone attack in the war zone. Until the body reached their home in Goraya, their elderly parents were unaware that their son was no more.
Speaking about his ordeal, Jagdeep said he made two trips to Russia in his attempt to trace his brother. “I submitted my DNA samples twice. At one point, I was even preparing to go to the Rostov-on-Don war zone, but Mandeep’s commander stopped me,” he said. With assistance from the Indian Embassy and a local lawyer in Russia, the necessary formalities were completed, and the body was finally traced in Rostov.
Jagdeep recalled that after sending his DNA sample for the second time in November, confirmation came within a week. “When the samples matched, my worst fears came true. My brother was killed in a drone attack,” he said, struggling to hold back emotion.
Mandeep is survived by his parents, his wife and a young son. Jagdeep squarely blamed unscrupulous travel agents for his brother’s death, alleging that they had promised to arrange travel to Finland but instead forced him into military service in Russia. “He was pushed into combat against his will and lost his life fighting a war that was not his,” he said.
The family’s nightmare began in August 2023, when Mandeep left for Armenia. From there, he and four friends came into contact with a travel agent based on Bholath Road in Kapurthala through Facebook. Once in Russia, Jagdeep alleged, the group was subjected to inhuman treatment. “They were starved, beaten and threatened. On March 3, 2024, Mandeep called us from a Russian number and said he had been enlisted in the Russian army and feared for his life,” he said.
Jagdeep also revealed that the Russian army offered monetary compensation for his brother’s death, an offer he refused. Instead, he has been urging the Union government and the Punjab government to take urgent steps to halt what he described as the continued recruitment of Indian youths into the Russian forces.
“Innocent Indians are still being lured and trapped. I have confirmation of at least 13 Indian deaths so far,” he said, adding that many families have been searching for their missing relatives for over a year. He claimed that 800 to 900 Indians are still believed to be in Russia and that recruitment networks remain active.
Jagdeep said he has shared information with the Indian Embassy regarding the locations where the bodies of at least 12 other Indians, including two from Punjab, are reportedly being kept. “Their families are still waiting for answers,” he said, calling for immediate and decisive intervention to prevent further tragedies.
