A screengrab from the selfie video recorded by Mohammed Ahmed from Russia.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement
A Hyderabad resident has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs to help rescue her husband, Mohammed Ahmed, who she claims has been trapped in Russia and forced into combat training.
In a letter addressed to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Afsha Begum, a resident of MS Maqta opposite Raj Bhavan here, said her husband had gone to Russia in April this year for a job in the construction sector, but was instead taken for military training and compelled to fight against Ukrainian forces.
According to her letter, Ahmed, who holds an Indian passport, had been recruited by a Mumbai-based agency, Trust Consultancy, run by a man identified as Adil. “He left India on April 25 and reached Russia but was left without work for nearly a month. Later, he and around 30 others, including six Indians, were reportedly moved to a remote location and given weapons training against their will,” she alleged.
In a selfie video recorded by Ahmed in Russia, he said that of 25 men, 17 have been killed, including an Indian. “They placed a gun to my neck and said that they will shoot me and stage it as if I was killed by a drone. I have a plaster on my leg and am unable to walk. Please do not spare the agent who sent me here. He got me entangled in all this. He made me sit here for 25 days without work. I kept asking for work but in vain. I was forcefully dragged into this in the guise of employment in Russia,” he said.
Afsha stated that 26 of them were taken to the border area to fight Ukrainian forces. Her husband allegedly tried to escape by jumping off an army vehicle, during which he fractured his right leg. He has since informed her that he is being threatened to either fight or be killed.
Meanwhile, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has also appealed to the Indian Embassy in Russia to help bring back Ahmed. In his letter to the embassy in Moscow, he said Ahmed had gone for a job but was taken by the Russian Army to a remote area, given weapons training and sent to the border. Mr.Owaisi requested immediate action for his safe repatriation.
In response, Tadu Mamu, Counsellor at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, said the embassy has shared Ahmed’s details with Russian authorities and has requested his release from the Russian Army and safe return to India.
Afsha urged the government to direct the Indian Embassy in Moscow to contact her husband on his Russian number or Indian WhatsApp number and arrange his immediate repatriation. She said her husband is the sole breadwinner of the family, which includes his paralysed mother, herself and their two children, aged 10 and four. She requested urgent intervention from Indian authorities to ensure his safe return.
Published – October 17, 2025 07:04 pm IST
