A woman from Hyderabad has made an emotional plea to India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, seeking immediate intervention to rescue her husband, Mohammed Ahmed, who she says has been trapped in Russia and forced to participate in the ongoing conflict against Ukraine. Her letter paints a picture of deep distress and desperation, as she explains that her husband, the only earning member of the family, was deceived into traveling to Russia under the pretext of legitimate employment.
According to the letter written by Afsha Begum, a resident of Hyderabad, her husband Mohammed Ahmed had left for Russia on April 25, 2025, after being offered a construction job by a consultancy firm named Trust Consultancy, reportedly based in Mumbai and run by an individual identified as Adil. Believing the offer to be genuine, Ahmed accepted the opportunity, hoping to secure stable income for his family. However, upon arriving in Russia, he and a group of about 30 other men—many of them Indians—were allegedly misled and taken to an undisclosed remote location instead of a construction site.
In her letter, Afsha claims that the group was forcibly handed weapons and subjected to nearly a month of military training against their will. What began as a job placement quickly turned into a harrowing ordeal. “They were trained for about 26 days and later sent to the frontlines,” she wrote, explaining that her husband and his companions were coerced into joining active combat near the Ukrainian border. Ahmed reportedly told his wife that several of his fellow Indians had already lost their lives in the fighting. “My husband said that around 17 people from his group have been killed while fighting, and he has been warned to either continue fighting or face death,” Afsha recounted in her appeal.
She also revealed that her husband had attempted to escape by jumping from an army vehicle but sustained a serious fracture in his right leg during the attempt. Despite his injuries, he remains trapped in the conflict zone, under constant threat and unable to return home. His last communication, according to her, expressed fear for his life and a desperate hope that the Indian authorities would intervene before it was too late.
Afsha Begum’s letter emphasizes the grave impact this situation has had on her family back home. Mohammed Ahmed is the sole breadwinner for the household, which includes his wife, two young children — ten-year-old Zoya Begum and four-year-old Mohammed Taimur — and his aged, paralysed mother. With no source of income and growing uncertainty, the family’s condition has become increasingly precarious. “We are struggling to survive without his earnings,” Afsha wrote, underscoring that her husband’s safety is not just a matter of concern but one of survival for the entire family.
In her appeal, she urged the Ministry of External Affairs to take swift action and direct the Indian Embassy in Moscow to locate, assist, and repatriate her husband immediately. “It is requested to kindly ask the Embassy of India in Moscow, Russia, to contact my husband, rescue him, and bring him back safely as soon as possible,” her letter states. She has also shared her contact details with the authorities, pleading for an urgent response.
This is not the first time reports have surfaced of Indian citizens being misled by fraudulent recruitment agencies and ending up in conflict zones under false pretenses. The case once again raises serious concerns about the safety of Indians seeking overseas employment and the urgent need for stricter regulation of private recruitment firms. As the government examines the case, the plight of Afsha Begum and her family highlights the human cost of such exploitation — a family torn apart by deception and desperation, waiting for their loved one to return home.
