The death of another young man from Jammu in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war has brought to light a deeply concerning pattern—where educational aspirations are allegedly being exploited to push Indian youths into active conflict zones.
Twenty-three-year-old Sachin Khajuria, a resident of Pallanwala in Jammu district, is among four youths from the region who had travelled to Russia on student visas but reportedly ended up on the war front under suspicious circumstances.
Sachin’s mortal remains reached his native village, Pahariwala, on Sunday morning, triggering grief and outrage among locals and family members. According to relatives, he had gone to Russia with hopes of pursuing studies and securing a better future. However, he was allegedly misled with promises of a non-combat “helper” role and later deployed to a sensitive frontline position.
The family last spoke to Sachin on September 13 last year through a distressing WhatsApp call, during which he reportedly pleaded for help, claiming he was being forced into a dangerous combat zone. Though he is believed to have died later that month, his family remained unaware of his fate until his body was repatriated to India after prolonged diplomatic efforts.
Sachin’s case is not an isolated one. Three other youths from Jammu—Manjinder Singh from RS Pura, Sumeet Sharma from Kahnachak, and Atul from Mishriwala—had also travelled to Russia with similar aspirations of education and employment. However, their journeys allegedly took a grim turn after they came in contact with agents offering high-paying “helper” jobs.
Of the four, Atul is the only one who managed to return home safely after months of struggle, while the others were reportedly trapped in war-affected areas.
A common pattern has emerged across these cases—travel on student visas, contact with middlemen promising lucrative opportunities, and eventual deployment to conflict zones. Families allege that the youths were initially assured of safe assignments such as bunker construction or support work near border areas. Instead, they were reportedly coerced or deceived into joining the Russian military and sent to frontline regions in Ukraine.
The issue has raised serious concerns among authorities and the public, pointing towards a possible network that is exploiting the dreams of young Indians seeking education and economic mobility abroad.
In another tragic case, 24-year-old Manjinder Singh from Gowana village in the RS Pura border belt reportedly lost his life on January 28 in eastern Ukraine, allegedly due to a drone strike or artillery shelling. His body was brought back to India earlier.
Manjinder had travelled to Russia in December 2024 on a student visa, aiming to pursue higher studies while supporting his family financially. According to his relatives, he spent several months studying and working part-time before reportedly being lured by agents with offers of well-paying jobs—eventually leading him into the conflict zone.
As more such incidents come to the fore, the tragedy is no longer limited to individual families. It underscores the emergence of a dangerous trend where the aspirations of young students are being manipulated and diverted into some of the world’s most volatile war zones, raising urgent questions about oversight, recruitment networks, and the safety of Indian nationals abroad.