The 22-year-old Indian student, an alleged Russian mercenary who is reportedly in Ukrainian custody, has claimed that he was offered money and freedom if he served a year in the Russian army. Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussain, from Morbi in Gujarat, ended up in a Russian prison on drug charges.
The Ukrainian officials released Hussain’s video on Tuesday, describing him as the first Indian mercenary to surrender to Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanised Brigade. However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is to confirm the veracity of the report, as it has not received any formal communication from Ukraine.
In the video, Hussain is heard narrating how he ended up in the Russian army. He claims to have arrived in Russia to study, but ended up in prison on drug charges. He was sentenced to serve seven years behind bars.
It was then that the Russian officials gave him the offer: Immediate release if he served a year in the army. In addition, they promised payment for contract service. However, each time they announced different amounts, Hussain was heard saying in the video.
#BREAKING: Ukraine's forces capture Indian student Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein fighting for Russia! The 22-year-old from Morbi, Gujarat, went to study but was jailed on drug charges—Russia swapped his sentence for a rifle after just 16 days' training. He surrendered after 3 days… pic.twitter.com/y7LhPWXCAm
— WarMonitor🚨 (@GallopingMo) October 7, 2025
"Someone said they would give 100 thousand rubles, someone said half a million, and someone said one and a half million. They didn't give me anything. That means they're all liars," Hussain alleged.
He also revealed that the Russians gave him just 16 days of training, which included firing a machine gun and throwing a grenade.
Hussain added that he was sent by his commander along with two others to storm a camp on October 1. It was then that he decided to escape. He complained to the commander about fatigue, as well as pain in his heart and legs.
"We had a conflict with the commander - and he told the others: 'Take away his radio and let him go - let him go,'" the prisoner shared, adding that he walked about two kilometers to the Ukrainian dugout. “I arrived, immediately put down my machine gun, and said, "t I didn’t want to fight. I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t do anything bad to anyone. I was only at the front for three days. I didn’t want to fight, I wanted to escape,” the prisoner said.
He begged the Ukrainian authorities not to return him to Russia because "there is no truth there". “If possible, send me to India,” he added.
