A non-partisan research post - London
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Russian cannon fodder
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Ukraine war: The Indian men traumatised by fighting for Russia
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Russian cannon fodder
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Ukraine war: The Indian men traumatised by fighting for Russia
- In October last year, David Moothappan saw a Facebook advertisement offering jobs as security guards in Russia.
- The promised monthly salary - 204,000 roubles ($2,201; £1,739) - seemed a huge amount to the school-dropout fisherman from the southern Indian state of Kerala.
- Weeks later, Mr Moothappan, 23, found himself on the warfront in the Russian-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
- "It's death and destruction everywhere," he says, when asked about his time there.
- He and another man from Kerala managed to return home last week.
- They are among several Indians who were duped by agents into fighting Russian forces in the country's war with Ukraine over the past few months.
- A few have managed to make their way back home but others are still stuck in Russia.
- Most of them are from poor families and were lured with the promise of jobs, sometimes as "helpers" in the Russian army.
- At least two Indians have died so far in the war.
Ukraine war: The Indian men traumatised by fighting for Russia
Two men who were duped by agents into joining the war against Ukraine speak about their experiences.
www.bbc.co.uk