Ahmedabad, Dec 22: A 23-year-old student from Gujarat’s Morbi district, currently lodged in a Ukrainian military jail after allegedly fighting on behalf of Russia, has appealed to the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help secure his release, even as he warned Indian citizens against falling prey to scams while travelling to Russia for studies or work.
Sahil Mohamed Hussein Majothi, a resident of Kalika Plot area in Morbi, conveyed his plea through two video messages one in English and the other in Hindi sent to his family and reportedly shared by Ukrainian authorities.
In the videos, Majothi described his situation 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 said, urging Indian authorities to intervene. He specifically appealed to Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to help facilitate his return to India.
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 claims that after facing financial and visa-related difficulties, he was falsely implicated in a narcotics case, sentenced to seven years in jail and later forced to sign a contract to fight for the Russian military.
“I signed the war contract when I was stuck in a Russian jail. That was the biggest mistake of my life,” he said, adding that he agreed to join the war only to escape imprisonment. He was later captured by Ukrainian forces, with a video of his surrender surfacing earlier this October.
Currently lodged in a Ukrainian military prison, Majothi said he hopes New Delhi will raise his case with Moscow. Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to India, he said, “I want my government to talk to Vladimir Putin so that I can come back home. I want to come home.”
In his messages, Majothi also issued a cautionary note to Indians planning to travel to Russia. “Those Indians 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,” he warned.
The videos carry the logo “I Want to Live”, a Ukrainian government-backed project aimed at encouraging Russian soldiers to voluntarily surrender.
Majothi’s mother, Hasinaben Samsudinbhai Majothi, said Ukrainian authorities were willing to hand over her son and that the family had approached Indian officials, including the External Affairs Ministry, seeking intervention. She has also moved the Delhi High Court, alleging that her son was framed in a false case to extort money and duped into fighting in the war.
On November 3, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to appoint a liaison officer to establish contact with Ukrainian authorities and take steps towards Majothi’s repatriation. The court also urged authorities to facilitate communication between Sahil and his mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 2.
“I am a hapless mother whose sole source of support and motivation to live was my son, about whom I have no accurate information,” Hasinaben said in her petition.
