Daijiworld Media Network - Morbi

Morbi, Dec 22: A 23-year-old man from Gujarat’s Morbi district, currently in Ukrainian custody for allegedly fighting on behalf of Russia, has appealed to the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and secure his release.

In video messages sent to his family, the youth also warned Indian citizens planning to travel to Russia for education or employment to remain cautious, alleging the presence of widespread scams that could land them in serious legal trouble.

The man, identified as Sahil Mohamed Hussein Majothi, a resident of Morbi, came into the public eye earlier this October after Ukrainian authorities released a video showing him surrendering to Ukrainian forces.

According to details shared by his family, Majothi had travelled to St Petersburg on January 10, 2024, on a student visa to pursue a course in Russian Language and Culture at ITMO University. He later ran into legal trouble in Russia, was jailed, and was allegedly forced to join the Russian military, following which he was captured by Ukrainian forces.

In two video messages — one in English and another in Hindi — received by his family on Sunday night and said to have been shared by Ukrainian authorities, Majothi described his condition as desperate.

“Right now I am stuck in Ukraine as a war criminal. I am hopeless and don’t know what will happen in the future,” he says in one of the videos. He also cautioned Indians planning to go to Russia, saying, “Those coming to Russia for higher studies or work should be very careful. There are many scammers here. You may get trapped in criminal, narcotics or illegal cases. As far as possible, stay away from all this.”

Appealing for help, Majothi said, “I request the Indian government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to please help me.”

In the English-language video, he claimed that he is being held in a Ukrainian military jail and that he signed a contract to fight in the war only to escape a prison sentence in Russia. “I signed the war contract when I was stuck in a Russian jail. That was the biggest mistake of my life,” he said, expressing hope that Indian authorities would take up his case with Russia to facilitate his return to India.

Majothi further alleged that he was falsely implicated in a narcotics case in Russia, sentenced to seven years in jail, and misled into joining the war.

The videos carry the logo “I Want to Live”, a government-backed project of the Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, established with the support of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and Defence Intelligence. As per its official website, the initiative is aimed at Russian servicemen willing to voluntarily surrender to Ukrainian forces.