Study dreams for Jammu youth end on Russia-Ukraine war front

The death of another Jammu boy, Sachin Khajuria in the Russia-Ukraine war, exposes a disturbing trend wherein education aspirations are being weaponised to funnel young Indians into active conflict zones.

Sachin is among the four boys from the Jammu region who had gone as study aspirants to Russia but ended up in the war zone.
The body of 23-year-old Sachin Khajuria reached his border native village Pahariwala on Sunday morning. He was a resident of Pallanwala in the Jammu district and had travelled to Russia on a student visa but was allegedly lured with promises of a non-combat “helper” role before being deployed to the frontline.
His family had last contact with him on September 13 last year via a distressed WhatsApp call when he pleaded for help, stating he was being deployed to a sensitive frontline position.

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Sachin reportedly died in September last year, but his family was not informed. They came to know only after his mortal remains were brought back to India following hectic diplomatic efforts.
The story of four young men from the Jammu region who chased study dreams but were caught in the shadow of the Russia–Ukraine war—is raising serious concerns about how student visas are being misused to push youths into dangerous conflict zones.
Sachin Khajuria from Pallanwala, Manjinder Singh from RS Pura, Sumeet Sharma from Kahnachak, and Atul from Mishriwala had all travelled to Russia with hopes of a better future. Their journey, meant for education and work, allegedly turned into a trap after they were offered high-paying “helper” jobs.

Among these youths, Atul was the only one who managed to return home safely after months of struggle.
What connects all four cases is a similar pattern—travel on student visa, contact with agents offering lucrative jobs, and then sudden deployment to war-hit areas. By the time they realised the reality, escape had become extremely difficult.
Families say the youths were promised safe roles like bunker construction or support work near the border. Instead, they were reportedly forced or misled into joining the Russian Army and sent to frontline areas in Ukraine.

As more such cases surface, the tragedy is no longer confined to individual loss. It signals the emergence of a dangerous global nexus—where the dreams of education and economic mobility are being hijacked and redirected into the world’s most volatile conflict zones.

The 24-year-old Manjinder Singh from Gowana village in the border area of RS Pura in Jammu, died on January 28 reportedly due to a drone strike or artillery shelling in eastern Ukraine. His body was brought back home some time ago.
He had travelled to Russia in December 2024 on a student visa, with the aim of pursuing higher education and supporting his family financially. According to his relatives, he spent several months studying and working part-time before allegedly coming into contact with agents offering lucrative job opportunities.