7 hrs ago
Indian Student Says Russian Army Job Sent Him to Ukraine
Gagandeep Singh went from India to Russia to study Russian and find work.
He says he was offered an army job that he thought would involve building bunkers.
After training, he says he was sent near the war in Ukraine.
He faced dangerous conditions, including drones and mines.
He says the people travelling with him died, and he was badly injured.
When he contacted his sister, his family asked for help.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs contacted Russian authorities, and Singh returned to India on August 26.
He says he now wants to return to a simple life teaching yoga.
Gagandeep Singh, a 35-year-old yoga teacher from Patiala, says he went to Moscow in May 2025 on a one-year student visa.
He says he paid about Rs 3 lakh and planned to study Russian and work part-time.
Singh says he accepted a Russian Army job described as bunker construction and support work, then underwent two months of training.
He says he was sent to forested areas near Ukraine, where he faced drones, mines, scarce food and the deaths of people with him.
After contacting his sister, his family sought help; India’s Ministry of External Affairs intervened, and he returned on August 26.
- Who
- Gagandeep Singh, a 35-year-old yoga teacher from Patiala.
- What
- Singh says a Russian Army job he believed involved support work led to his deployment near the Ukraine war zone.
- Where
- Singh says he was moved from Moscow to forested areas along the Russia-Ukraine border and eventually reached near Kyiv.
- When
- He says he travelled to Moscow in May 2025 and returned to India on August 26; the article does not specify the return year.
- Why
- He went to Russia hoping to study Russian and support himself with part-time work; he says he accepted the army job after being offered good pay and told it was support work.
Key facts
- Age
- 35
- Home
- Patiala, Punjab, India
- Travel expense
- About Rs 3 lakh
- Visa
- One-year student visa
- University
- Moscow State Linguistic University
- Training
- Singh says he underwent two months of military training.
- Return
- He returned to India on August 26; the article gives no year for the date.
- Reported injury
- Singh says an attack badly injured his right foot and a hand.
Quotes
Gagandeep Singh
Indian yoga teacher who says he was sent to the Ukraine war zone
“When the danger became extreme, I contacted my sister and sought help.”
indianexpress.com
“It was like walking on our deathbed.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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