A 30-year-old man from Uttarakhand who traveled to Russia for university studies has allegedly been forced into the Russian army and deployed to Ukraine, with his family losing contact since early September, according to a Times of India report.

Rakesh Kumar left his village of Kushmoth in Udham Singh Nagar district on 7 August after securing admission to St. Petersburg University on a study visa. Within weeks, his situation had deteriorated dramatically, his family says.

“The last time they had a direct conversation was on 30 August, when Rakesh informed them that he had been forcibly drafted into the Russian army and would soon be deployed to the war zone in Ukraine,” the Times of India reported. After that call, his phone became unreachable.

The family later received a photograph showing Kumar in Russian military uniform, which “only heightened their fears and confirmed their worst suspicions,” according to the report.

Kumar managed one final call from an unfamiliar Russian number, telling his family that authorities had seized his passport and personal documents, deleted his official emails, and forced him through military training in the Donbas region before battlefield deployment.

“We do not even know if he is alive. We just want the governmentt to bring him back home safely,” his elder brother Deepu Maurya told the newspaper.

The family wrote to India’s Ministry of External Affairs on 5 September and has contacted the Indian embassy in Moscow, elected representatives, and local officials seeking help.

The Times of India reports this marks at least the 21st such case in recent months, with most previous victims coming from Punjab and Haryana. These individuals “claimed they were tricked into going to Russia on the pretext of education or employment, only to be coerced into joining Russian military,” according to the report.

Kumar’s case follows the same pattern: arrival for legitimate purposes, rapid conscription, confiscation of documents, and deployment to active combat zones.