Akshay Kumar, 25, went to Russia on a study visa in Dec 2024. His family alleged he was later recruited into Russian army with promises of citizenship and non-combat duties before being sent to the Ukraine war front
Meerut: A 25-year-old man from Amroha who travelled to Russia on a study visa in Dec 2024 was allegedly persuaded to join Russian army with promises of citizenship and non-combat duties before being deployed to the Ukraine war front, his family said. Akshay Kumar , who was injured by shrapnel during fighting in July, has been untraceable since his last conversation with his family on Aug 24, prompting them to seek Indian govt’s intervention to establish his whereabouts and bring him home. Akshay, a resident of Fatehpur Chhitara village, initially went to Russia for studies and completed a three-month Russian language course before extending his stay and taking up a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant, his father Randheer Singh, 45, a factory foreman in Haryana, said. The family said Akshay was injured by shrapnel during fighting on July 1, 2026, but subsequently returned to his military unit. “I last spoke to him on Aug 24.
The family said the embassy informed them that it had taken up Akshay’s release with Russian Defence Ministry, but Russian authorities maintained that he had acquired Russian citizenship and possessed a Russian passport and, therefore, could not be released from military service.
“He was initially told that he would be given non-combat work such as digging trenches and constructing tunnels, but was later sent to the frontline,” Singh said. Since then, we have had no information about his whereabouts,” Singh said. Indian Embassy subsequently requested Russian authorities to facilitate his release, the family said.
The family alleged that a woman named Alisha later approached Akshay and persuaded him to join Russian army by promising Russian citizenship and other benefits. Contact continued for several weeks before abruptly stopping. Akshay’s elder brother Aman repeatedly approached Indian and Russian authorities and wrote to Indian Embassy in Moscow seeking information about his brother’s condition and location.