Indian families hold demonstration at Jantar Mantar seeking return of their kin trapped in Russia-Ukraine war

Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to India from December 4, families from across the country held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday (December 1, 2025), seeking the safe return of their kin allegedly lured to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine.

Making desperate appeals for the safe return of their kin, the families held a three-hour demonstration, carrying placards and banners that read “Rescue Indians Trapped in Russia War — Every Life Matters”, “Our Sons Are Not Soldiers of Russia” and “Our Youth Need Life Not War”.

Shri Bhagwan, a resident of Haryana’s Rohtak, who has been instrumental in bringing the affected families together, said that around 60 people from 20 families had gathered, coinciding with the start of the Winter Session of Parliament and ahead of Mr. Putin’s visit for the annual summit.

On November 3, around two dozen families from Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Telangana and Gujarat had held a similar demonstration after meeting the Ministry of External Affairs officials. “The number of families has gone up since. We had the list of 61 families, but people from only 20 turned up for the demonstration,” said Sunil.

The families have also written to the National Human Rights Commission, saying that their kin had been recruited in the Russian Army for the past four months. They said they had held demonstrations seeking their return and had approached the MEA and the Russian Embassy officials, but not received “any information about their children”. “We request the government to ensure safe return of our children as soon as possible,” read the letter.