Red Carpet in Delhi, Grief in Kaithal: Family awaits body of youth killed in Russia war

Rohtak: As Russian President Vladimir Putin is driven through the heavily guarded avenues of New Delhi for high-level talks and ceremonial receptions, a different story is unfolding in the narrow lanes of Matour village in Haryana’s Kaithal district.

Here, the family of 22-year-old Ravi Moun waits for a coffin. More than a year after he left for what was promised as a helper’s job in Russia, his relatives are still waiting for his mortal remains.

From one acre of land to a one-way ticket
Ravi hailed from a modest family. The Mouns owned roughly an acre of farmland – enough to subsist, not enough to secure the future of three siblings. Their mother had died years ago. The elder brother, Ajay, drove a taxi and tried to support the family.

Like many young men in Haryana, Ravi grew up watching neighbours go abroad and send home money that transformed their houses, weddings and status. The dream of “bahar ki naukri” looked like the only escape from shrinking farm incomes and scarce local jobs.

So when a local agent from the village allegedly offered him a “transport/helper job” in Russia, the family saw a rare opportunity. They sold their land to arrange the money and according to Ajay, they paid about ₹11–12 lakh to the agent. It was a risky decision, but they believed it could pull the family out of their financial struggle.

A promise that turned into a trap
Ajay, Ravi’s elder brother, said that on January 13, 2024, Ravi flew out of India. The family believed he would be driving vehicles or assisting in logistics away from the frontline.

Their hope faded away almost immediately. In his first detailed call from Russia, Ravi told Ajay something no family expects to hear from a son who had gone abroad for a “job”.

“Either sign up with the Russian Army and go to the warfront, or face a long jail term here,” he said, according to Ajay.

Without language skills, money, legal support or contacts, Ravi found himself cornered in a foreign country. Ajay said, his brother ultimately signed the papers presented to him. Soon, photos and videos started arriving on the family’s phones: Ravi in army fatigues, holding weapons, digging trenches, training like a soldier. The transport job had turned into an enforced stint at the frontline.

On the frontline, with little hope of return
By early March 2024, Ravi had been deployed near the warzone. He told his family that he was in a group of a dozen men moving in armoured vehicles towards the front. In one intense exchange of fire, missiles reportedly hit the tanks. Most of his companions died on the spot. Ravi, injured, was taken to hospital but was sent back again.

In one of his last videos, recorded in March 2024, Ravi spoke of heavy shelling and openly said he might not make it back alive. He asked the family to pray for him. For Ajay and their father, these images were a horrifying confirmation that their son had been pushed into a war he never volunteered to fight.

The last direct contact was on March 12, 2024. After that, Ravi’s phone went silent. Calls were unanswered, messages remained undelivered. Gradually, rumours trickled back through other Indians caught in the same conflict – that the tank Ravi was in had been struck and that no one inside had survived.

Ajay’s fight: from Matour to Moscow
Ajay began writing emails to the Indian Embassy in Moscow, explaining that Ravi had been forced into the Russian Army and was now missing.

After weeks of waiting, he was told that, according to a communication from Russia, Ravi had been killed in the war.

Even then, the process of bringing him home was anything but straightforward. Ajay said the embassy informed the family that to complete identification and formalities, a DNA sample from a close relative was required. With their mother no more, Ajay and his father travelled to Delhi, got the father’s sample collected at a designated hospital, and submitted the report.

Months later, the body has still not reached Matour. “Documents move, officials change, emails come and go, but my brother is still lying somewhere in Russia,” Ajay said.

According to him, he has travelled to Moscow twice this year, trying to push for the return of Ravi’s remains and the compensation he claims was verbally assured to him.

“Russian army officials told me there would be compensation of ₹1.2 crore, but till date nothing has come,” Ajay alleged. He claimed that he had to spend money from his own pocket while travelling to Moscow in this process.

The agent in handcuffs, the family in debt
Back in Kaithal, the Haryana police registered a case against the local agent accused of sending Ravi and other men to Russia on false promises. The agent was arrested, and another person allegedly linked to the network is said to be abroad. Police have acknowledged that the youths were lured on the pretext of helper jobs and later ended up on the battlefield. The agent is currently out on bail.

For the Moun family, these developments bring little comfort. Their land has been sold. The debt incurred for Ravi’s travel remains. “We were told it was a good job, safe work. Now we don’t even have a body to cremate,” Ajay said, fighting back tears.

It is against this backdrop that Putin’s current visit to Delhi carries deep personal weight for Matour. Ajay said the family’s demands are simple: “We want Ravi’s mortal remains to be brought back to India, and we want the compensation that was promised. We also want justice for other families from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan who are going through the same ordeal.”