A Russian man who travelled to India amidst the war with Ukraine has found himself stranded in Delhi for months after being robbed of his documents. Details shared in a lengthy Reddit post indicate that the youth had come to India to avoid forceful drafting for the Ukraine war — obtaining a renewable student visa to learn about yoga and Vedic culture. Matters had however taken a turn for the worse after his visa was not renewed a second time — leaving the 26-year-old stranded with no recourse.
Visa woes and financial crunch
Matters had taken a sharp downward turn for the Reddit user after his student visa expired — with issues over renewal and financial woes reigning supreme. The lengthy post explained that the youth had been unable to extend his visa a second time and inadvertently overstayed in the country.
“Visa started to expire…then started to overstay. I didn’t go back that time cause of low income (spent last everything just to relocate to India) and because of the forceful drafts that were going on at that time (late 2022). So I had to live there in West Bengal with no valid visa for a while. Then on top of all that, I lost my passport and documents. I got robbed and the whole backpack with all of my documents, military certificate, and old phone was gone. I had to come to Delhi to seek help from my embassy,” he revealed.
Stabbings and bureaucracy
The Reddit user revealed that he had travelled to Delhi months earlier to seek help from the Russian Embassy — receiving only limited support. Authorities have repeatedly issued him temporary flight documents but failed to provide accommodation or any sort of travel support.
“I’m stuck mostly because of insufficient funds. And the second reason is that I need to get a paper from the Foreign Regional Registration Office, or Indian Bureau of immigration….called an exit permit to board a return flight. They have not given it to me for months now and say ‘Your case is difficult’. One reason for it is also the fact that I cannot give them any residence proof document (called C form). And that is because I literally cannot rent any place whatsoever,” he added.
The Russian youth added that he had lived for quite some time in the waiting area of a Delhi railway station.
“They allowed me to stay there because I explained that no hostels, hotels, or landlords allow me without a passport. And papers from my embassy are not working at all on them. So its a vicious circle. At the end, when one member of their staff (a cleaner guy) stabbed me there in the arm during the fight (he picked it)… the police of that New Delhi railway station just decided to throw me out because I wanted to file an FIR ( that could convince my Russian embassy to finally help me with something). They didn’t want to fire that guy who stabbed me, and didn’t want any trouble or any scandal, so they just kicked me out,” he added.