Hyderabad — In February, four men from villages and tandas of erstwhile Nizamabad district boarded flights to Russia believing they were headed for steady, well-paid work at an oil company. Seven months later, their families say they are somewhere near the Russia-Ukraine frontline, carrying weapons for an army they never meant to join.

The men have been identified as Bhukya Ravinder (44) of Nallagutta Thanda, Jakranpally mandal; Sirshu Ashok (44) of Pedda Valgot, Sirikonda mandal; Megavath Prakash (41) of Cheruvu Thanda, Dharpally mandal; and Mohammed Afzal Khan (43) of Tadkol, Banswada mandal.

From job advertisement to military camp

According to their families, each man paid agents roughly ₹3 lakh for what was described as civilian work — helper, mechanical and manual labour roles. One advertisement shown by the families, attributed to a company called "Pondera Co," offered general and mechanical helper jobs at about ₹42,000 a month, with free food and 10-hour shifts.

The reality, the families allege, was very different. After arriving, the men's wages were held back. They were then pressured into signing up with the Russian military, put through training and moved toward the war zone. In their limited contact with home, the men have said they have crossed into Ukrainian territory controlled by Russia. They reportedly do not know exactly where they are.

For Sirshu Ashok's wife, Saritha, the months of uncertainty have overlapped with milestones the family could not postpone — she married off their elder daughter while her husband was still in Russia.

Families turn to the state government

On September 29, the families submitted a representation to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy through CM Pravasi Prajavani, the state's grievance platform for non-resident Telangana residents. Nizamabad Rural MLA Dr. R. Bhupathi Reddy had separately written to the Chief Minister on September 25, seeking help to trace the men.

Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, who heads CM Pravasi Prajavani and is vice-chairperson of the Telangana State Planning Board, has written to the Indian Embassy in Moscow seeking diplomatic intervention. The state's NRI wing has been directed to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs. She assured the families that the government would make every effort to help residents stranded abroad.

Not the first time — and that is the real story

This case did not come out of nowhere. In 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs said it was working to secure the early discharge of around 20 Indians serving as support staff with the Russian army, many of whom had also been lured by job offers. Two years later, the same pattern has reached the villages of North Telangana.

That matters because North Telangana — Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Jagtial and neighbouring districts — has long been one of India's biggest sources of overseas labour, especially to the Gulf. Generations of families here have sent sons abroad through village-level agents, often paying lakhs upfront on the strength of a word-of-mouth promise. That same informal pipeline, built on trust and desperation, is now being used to send workers to a war.

The men in this case were not young adventurers. All four are in their forties, with families depending on them. They were looking for the same thing migrant workers from this region have always looked for: a better wage than they could earn at home.

What workers and families should watch for

Until the recruitment networks behind cases like this are shut down, awareness remains the best protection. Families considering an overseas job offer should be cautious when:

  • The agent is not a government-registered recruiting agent, or cannot show a valid licence.
  • The job is in a country currently at war or bordering a conflict zone, even if the role is described as "support," "helper" or "security."
  • A large upfront payment is demanded before any written contract is provided.
  • The contract is in a foreign language, is vague about the employer, or is only shared after arrival.
  • The offer arrives only through WhatsApp forwards, social media ads or word of mouth, with no verifiable company details.

Job seekers can verify recruiting agents through the Ministry of External Affairs' eMigrate system, and families of Indians in distress abroad can raise grievances through the MEA's MADAD portal or the nearest Indian mission, in addition to state platforms like CM Pravasi Prajavani.

What happens next

For now, the four families in Nizamabad and Kamareddy are waiting for a phone call, a message, or official word from Moscow. Every week the men remain near the front adds to the risk.

Andhravani will continue to follow this story and update readers as the Telangana government and the Ministry of External Affairs respond.