Kyiv reported on Tuesday that an Indian national has been captured by Ukrainian forces after allegedly fighting alongside the Russian army. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said it is verifying the reports and has not yet received any formal update from Ukrainian authorities regarding the detention.
Who is Majoti Sahil, captured by Ukraine?
Identified as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein from Morbi, Gujarat, the 22-year-old had initially gone to Russia for higher education and was enrolled in a Russian university. According to a video released by the 63rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, Majoti was sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison on drug-related charges.
Later, in an effort to avoid jail, Hussein reportedly signed a contract with the Russian military to participate in Moscow‘s “special military operation” in Ukraine. In a video released by Ukrainian forces, Hussein speaks in Russian, saying, “I didn’t want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the special military operation. But I wanted to get out of there.”
Majoti reportedly received 16 days of training before his first combat mission on October 1. Majoti claimed that after spending three days fighting for Russia, a dispute broke out with his commander, which led him to surrender to the Ukrainian troops. “I came across a Ukrainian trench position about 2-3 kilometres away. I immediately put down my rifle and said that I didn’t want to fight. I needed help… I’d rather go to prison here (in Ukraine),” he said.
In the clip, the alleged Indian national also claimed that although he had been promised financial compensation for joining the Russian army, he never received any payment. “I don’t want to go back to Russia. There is no truth there, nothing. I’d rather stay in prison here (in Ukraine),” he added.
⚡️ Indian national surrenders to Ukraine after fighting for Russia for 3 days, military says.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) October 7, 2025
Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, a 22-year-old student from the Indian city of Morbi, allegedly came to Russia to study at a university.https://t.co/vSK315U9yP
India working to verify details
Sources in New Delhi confirmed that the Indian officials in Kyiv are working to ascertain the veracity of the report. “We are ascertaining the veracity of the report. We have not yet received any formal communication from the Ukrainian side in this regard,” MEA said, according to NDTV. Earlier in the year, the government had warned citizens about the risks of joining the Russian armed forces, citing similar incidents. In January, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that 126 Indians were misled into Russia. While 96 returned safely, 12 were killed, and 16 are still missing.
Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had previously confirmed that about 27 Indian nationals were recently enrolled in the Russian military. “Recently, we learnt that some additional Indian citizens have been recruited into the Russian military. This information came to us through their family members. We have taken up the matter vigorously with our mission in Russia and with the authorities in Moscow, urging that our nationals be released and brought back at the earliest. There are roughly 27 Indians involved who were recently enrolled in the Russian forces, and we are working to get them out.”
The incident comes amid ongoing India-Russia diplomatic interactions. India continues to maintain a neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, urging a peaceful resolution while refraining from joining sanctions against Moscow.