I am still in disbelief that I am back to home. "The terrible images from the continuous conflict are still vivid in my memory..." stated Mohammed Sufiyan, who safely returned home after assisting the Russian army in their war against Ukraine.

Sufiyan (22) from Narayanpet district expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Telangana government, and the media for helping him to come back.

Sufiyan remembered that in December 2023, he traveled to Russia through Chennai and Dubai, having been offered a security job by an employment agent in Mumbai.

He was brought to the Russia-Ukraine border for training and given tasks such as loading vehicles and constructing bunkers. Sufiyan and similar individuals recognized they had been deceived, yet were unable to reach out to the key instigator.

The young man explained that he was brought near the battlefield, but his well-being declined due to consecutive nights without sleep during the ongoing war. After sharing his story, he was later moved to a 'green zone' in Ukraine that was controlled by Russia, located approximately 60 kilometers away from the front lines.

He reported that they had spent eight months in a jungle. He mentioned that the government organized flight tickets for traveling to Delhi from Moscow. Sufiyan's family told PTI in July that they were hopeful he would come back home after PM Narendra Modi's trip to Russia.

Russia has accepted India's request to expedite the release of Indian workers serving as support staff in the Russian military, following Prime Minister Modi's strong intervention on the matter.