"Mohammad Amin Sheikh of North Kashmir's Karnah Battles Bureaucracy and Despair to Uncover the Fate of His Son, Fraudulently Recruited into the Russian Army"
It has been over a year of unrelenting anguish for Mohammad Amin Sheikh, a resident of Hajinar Karnah in north Kashmir's Kupwara district. His 27-year-old son, Zahoor Sheikh, disappeared in December 2023, allegedly after being duped by fraudulent recruiters who lured him to Russia under the guise of a promising job opportunity. Zahoor’s final phone call to his family came shortly after his arrival, before he was reportedly forced into military service and deployed to the perilous Russia-Ukraine border.
Since that fateful day, Mohammad Amin has waged a desperate campaign to bring his son home. He has filed numerous petitions with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), written to the Russian Embassy, and spent countless sleepless nights waiting for a breakthrough. Yet, his search has been met with silence.
“My son was deceived by promises of a better future. He was not a soldier; he was a young man seeking an honest livelihood,” Mohammad Amin said, his voice cracking under the weight of his sorrow. “I just want to know if he is alive.”
The family’s plight sheds light on a troubling pattern of exploitative recruitment targeting vulnerable individuals through online platforms. Zahoor was captivated by a seemingly legitimate video that painted a rosy picture of life abroad, only to find himself ensnared in a geopolitical nightmare.
Despite the escalating international tensions and human rights concerns surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Sheikhs’ cries for help have yet to move the needle of diplomacy. “We need the Indian government to take this matter seriously and pressure Russia to investigate. Every day is a torment,” Mohammad Amin pleaded.
The family clings to a sliver of hope, but with every passing day, that hope dims. Their only solace lies in the belief that Zahoor’s story will spark action before another innocent life is lost to deception and war.
