By Amrit Pal Sidhu
Jalandhar, August 7
A young man from Punjab who narrowly avoided death during the Russia-Ukraine war has recounted a harrowing story of the ordeal he faced. Sarabjit Singh, who traveled to Russia in April 2024, disclosed that after just two weeks of military training, he was sent directly to the warfront at the Ukraine border.
Thanking Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal for his intervention, Sarabjit mentioned that without his assistance, their bodies might never have made it home. His parents believe their son has returned as if he has been given a second chance at life.
Currently, Sarabjit is preparing to return to Moscow to help locate 14 other missing Indians, hoping to identify them in military camps. Having spent over eight months in Russia, Sarabjit is familiar with several cities. He stated that he and a group of 18 individuals initially traveled to Moscow for courier work.
However, upon their arrival at the airport, they were detained and taken to a building where they underwent documentation and medical checkups. After this, they received only 15 days of military training before being thrown into the Russia-Ukraine war, a conflict they had no involvement in.
They were sometimes transported in vehicles and at other times forced to walk for kilometers. Teams of five were formed, outfitted with military uniforms, and handed real weapons.
Sarabjit shared that while advancing into Ukrainian territory, all they could see around them were corpses—many of whom were Indians, alongside youths from various other countries.
He also described how they would go days without access to drinking water and often missed meals. At one point, he became so mentally shattered that he even tried to pull the pin of a hand grenade to end his life.
Amidst the chaos of war, they never knew when a bullet or bomb might strike. Sarabjit remarked that he had never been so close to death in his entire life.