Cancer-stricken Indian mother fights to bring son home after he was coerced into Russian military

A cancer-stricken mother from India is fighting to bring home her son after he was allegedly coerced into joining the Russian military in its war against Ukraine and later captured by Ukrainian forces.

A court in the capital Delhi directed the Indian government to take urgent steps to secure the return of Sahil Mahmad Husen Majothi, a 22-year-old student from Morbi in the western state of Gujarat, who is reportedly being held by Ukrainian authorities after surrendering during the conflict.

Justice Sachin Datta had said last year while hearing a petition filed by his mother, Hasinaben Samsudinbhai Majothi, the student appeared to have been compelled to serve in the Russian army.

"Please take all steps to bring him back," the judge told the government counsel in November 2025, directing the federal government to appoint a liaison officer to coordinate with Ukrainian authorities and seek consular access for the student.

The case has turned the spotlight on the growing number of Indians drawn into the Russia-Ukraine war.

Mr Majothi had travelled to St Petersburg in January 2024 on a student visa to study Russian Language and Culture at ITMO University, according to his advocates, Robin Raju and Deepa Joseph.

His mother previously said he was working part-time with a courier company when he was allegedly falsely implicated in a narcotics case, arrested in April 2024, and later pressured into signing a contract with the Russian military.

He was subsequently deployed to the front line in Ukraine, where he later surrendered to Ukrainian forces, insisting that he had never intended to fight and only wanted to return to India.

His case first came to public attention after Ukrainian authorities released a video in which he identified himself as an Indian from Gujarat and appealed to the Indian government to secure his return.

In another video message sent to his family in December last year, he urged prime minister Narendra Modi to intervene and warned other Indians travelling to Russia for work or study to "be careful against scammers".

His mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment and has also been diagnosed with cardiac complications, says she has been left without the support of her only son, reported the Hindustan Times.

According to the petition, repeated representations to Indian authorities failed to secure his release, prompting her to approach the High Court.

Her lawyer, Supreme Court advocate Deepa Joseph, has also written to Ukraine's Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, requesting Mr Majothi's repatriation on humanitarian grounds.

The letter argues that he was deployed to the battlefield without "his informed or voluntary consent" and later surrendered after maintaining that he never intended to participate in the conflict, reported the Indian daily.

It urges Ukrainian authorities to facilitate his early return so that he can reunite with his ailing mother.

Mr Majothi's case comes amid mounting concern over Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian armed forces despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The government recently informed the Supreme Court that 217 Indian nationals had joined the Russian military during the war. Of those, 49 have been killed and six remain missing, while Russian authorities have been unable to confirm the whereabouts of another 23, reported the Times of India.

According to the government, many foreign recruits were enticed with lucrative salaries, signing bonuses, promises of Russian citizenship and compensation packages for families in the event of death.

The government also told the top court that Mr Majothi and another Indian student had signed military contracts while serving prison sentences in Russia in an attempt to obtain amnesty. While the other student was later released and eventually acquired Russian citizenship, Mr Majothi surrendered to Ukrainian forces and India is continuing diplomatic efforts with Kyiv to secure his release.

The Ministry of External Affairs told the court that the Indian embassy remains in regular contact with Russian authorities to verify deaths, trace missing citizens and facilitate the return of Indians released from military service.