Sachin Khajuria’s Body Reaches Home: Exclusive On Jammu Man’s Death In Russia-Ukraine War

Last Updated:April 05, 2026, 15:45 IST

Indian casualty in Russia war zone has highlighted the growing recruitment racket concerns, according to intelligence inputs

The body of Sachin Khajuria, the 23-year-old from Jammu, who died in the Russia-Ukraine war reached his native village, Pahariwala, on Sunday morning.

Another Indian casualty in Russia war zone has highlighted the growing recruitment racket concerns, according to intelligence inputs.

Who is Sachin Khajuria?

Sachin Khajuria from Khour district of Jammu had gone to Russia and was subsequently recruited into Russian Army. He originally travelled to Russia on a study visa or with the promise of high-paying civilian jobs, such as bunker construction or “helper" roles.

Reports from September 2025 placed him at a camp in Selydove, located in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine. The family had sought the help of Union Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh to take up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to ensure his safe return.

His family last had contact with him on September 13, 2025, via a distressed WhatsApp call where he pleaded for help, stating he was being deployed to a sensitive frontline position

“Sachin’s case shows a documented pattern where agents exploit aspirational migration," said sources.

Migration concerns

“Many Indians including Sachin travelled on student or tourist visas seeking better jobs or education. Fraudulent agents lured them with false promises of high paying civilian roles helpers, cooks, construction workers earning lakhs per month," they said.

Instead, they were coerced into signing contracts had passports seized, underwent weapons training and were deployed to dangerous frontlines like Donetsk.

This recruitment is not voluntary and has affected over 200 Indians since 2022 with many describing it as modern human trafficking.

“Young men from rural areas like Pahariwala are lured with false job promises on study and business visas. This is not isolated. Groups of seven more Indians were affected in the same August 2025 incident. In such cases, the lack of pre-departure verification or awareness about overseas job scams left him exposed," said sources.

These are mostly young men in their early 20s from rural or semi urban families in states like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. Families eventually lose breadwinners, face lifelong grief, and struggle with financial hardship, said sources.

With agency inputs

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