Loved Ones on the Battlefield : Family in Atyas

He was looking for an alternative income after the metropolis started to stop his business on the sidewalks, selling clothes on the sidewalk near Indra Chowk, Mahabuddha in Kathmandu. At the same time, he was lured by a human trafficker who said that he would earn a lot. Mesh Bahadur, who went to Russia without even telling his family, has been completely out of touch for a month. His uncle, Krishna Bahadur Shrestha, said that his nephew had paid 7 lakh rupees to the broker and reached Russia. Due to uncertainty about the situation, the family has been divided.'

According to Mama Krishna, he did not even inform his family about going to Russia. "If he had said he was going to Russia, I would not have let him go," he said. Five months have passed. "As soon as I found out that he joined the Russian army, I submitted a request to the government to take the initiative to return him," he said.

More than 244 people who have been waiting like Krishna in the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have applied to search for their relatives who were recruited in the Russian army, to bring the bodies of the dead, to get compensation, to rescue those who were shot by the Ukrainian army and who were injured and being treated in the hospital. The government has said that around 200 Nepalis have joined the Russian army. But there is no definite data. So far, more than 16 people who have been recruited into the army have died, while 6 people have been captured by the Ukrainian army.

It can be estimated that the number of recruits in the Russian army is more than five thousand, based on the fact that they escaped from the battlefield and returned to Nepal to save their lives. Their families are filing petitions. Among the petitions, there is also a petition given by Bhimkala Acharya (Anjali) of Khotang Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality-3. Because her husband Kshitij Basnet is not in touch after the conversation on the night of 2nd October.

Her husband Kshitij, who has been working as a security guard in Dubai for the past four years, was recruited into the Russian army from there. Anjali, who is spending the days in a frenzy, is rushing to many places to get some news of her husband. But the result has not come. After her husband became uncontactable, she submitted an application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through her relatives on November 22. But since then she has not received any official news. "Initially, I called the Ministry of Labor on November 10-11, and they told me to report it to the relevant agency," she said. Bela is eating inside with the worry of where the news will come from.

Before going to Dubai, Kshitij worked as a volleyball player in the armed police about 6 years ago. She talked to her husband around 9 pm on October 2nd. "Don't stress, you said we are safe, then you won't be in contact," she said, "Then I heard that he was taken to another place from Rostov in Russia for training, now he is a hostage or something unpleasant happened, I don't know anything."

To understand how much restlessness exists in the family of a person who has joined the Russian army and has no contact, it becomes clear when you visit the small house of Tamang, built on a land that has not yet received Lalpurja in Salghari toll of Ratnanagar Municipality-12 of Chitwan. Whether sitting in a cramped room or going out, the 33-year-old Yamana never leaves her hand without her mobile phone. He came to the conclusion that he could not support his family by doing normal contract work in the village and was looking for an alternative.

After watching various videos posted by Nepali youths who joined the Russian army, Vishal started to think that he could earn a lot of money if he could join the Russian army. Reminiscence said, "He used to watch Tik Tok a lot. The issue of going to the Russian army is happening in it. He did not tell me that he was going to Russia. If I had said that I would go there, I would not have sent her,'' she said. Vishal flew from Kathmandu to Russia on October 30 after paying Rs 6 lakh to the broker. According to the memory, the husband who was injured while walking in the snow and his two toes were eaten by the snow is now being treated in the hospital.

There is no different story from the memory, even that of Bhim Bahadur Waiba, who has been living in Ratnanagar municipality-13 Budhikulo village for 27 years. 54-year-old Bhim Bahadur and 56-year-old Sanchmaya are haunted by the memory of their son in their old age. Because their son Bir Bahadur, who has been working as a driver in Qatar for two years, reached Russia and joined the army saying he was going to Croatia in November. They are worried because of their son who sometimes comes in contact and sometimes goes missing for a long time. Bir Bahadur, who flew from Qatar to Russia on November 26, about 15 days later posted a picture of him wearing a Russian soldier's uniform on Facebook. Only then did the family find out that he had arrived in Russia in the name of Croatia. After knowing this, Veer's wife Nirmala wondered why a man with no experience in the army had come there. Because it will cost 10 lakh rupees to go to Croatia, Veer said he had 5 lakh rupees and asked for another 5 lakh rupees from home.

At this time, the entire family is worried about Bir Bahadur. After being out of touch for a month shortly after his enlistment, Bhim Bahadur was haunted by the memory of his son. He also submitted a request to the consular department to find and rescue his son. A few days later, Bir Bahadur came in contact, but the family's grief has not gone away. They say we are now in a house occupied by Russia in Ukraine. But I don't know when and what happens there," Nirmala said. Things happen all the time, but they don't happen quickly.

Birendra KC's family of Botechour, Gurvakot Municipality-9 in Surkhet, is like any other family. Birendra's son Prakash, who came to Kathmandu to go to Romania, got lured by a broker and reached Russia last October. Prakash, who used to come in contact with his family only at intervals of 4/5 days after his admission, went out of contact for 22 days. Family members panicked and applied for rescue at the consular department. Today, he is in contact with the family. However, the family members are worried that something will happen to him and when he will return to Nepal.

37-year-old Ishwar Lamichhane of Arughat rural municipality-10 Khatriswara is now under the occupation of the Ukrainian army. Ishwar, who served in the Nepali Army for 18 years, resigned and reached Russia on a 'visit visa' on July 10. Although they were in contact for the first two months, there has been no contact for 5 months since then. Sumitra, a relative of her sister, said, "On February 12, a video of Dai was seen on a TV with an interview by a Ukrainian journalist. He did not reveal his name and address, we know who he is."

The suffering of those who have joined the Russian army and are out of contact is the same as the family members who are in contact but are injured and are being treated in the hospital. There is a similar concern in the Bardeva family of Chaunrideurali rural municipality-6 Jamire of Kavre. Prabin Bardeva, who joined the Russian army and served in the war, is now undergoing treatment in Russia. Prabin's wife Pranila said that her husband flew to Russia on August 30 after paying 9 lakhs to an agent based in India. Prabin's brother Nirmal said that there was a bullet in the lower part of the right kidney and after the incident, his brother's kidney, bladder and ureter were operated.

Nirmal says he doesn't know much about the agent who sent his brother to the Russian army. He said, "When he got there, he was in contact, even though he got the news that he had joined the army, he had no idea that he would go to such a big war." On October 22, Prabin told his family that he was going to night firing in the war with Ukraine. Brother Nirmal said, "After 5 days, the brother called from another number and said that he was admitted to the hospital due to a gunshot wound." The Bardeva family has been running to various places including the Foreign Minister and Consular Department for two months to return Prabin to Nepal. But they have not received any exciting news. "Hope is dead from the government now," Nirmal said, "It is very difficult to complete the legal process, now we are personally preparing to take the initiative to return my brother to Nepal."

Kavre's story is similar to Jamire's, the family of 29-year-old Hikmat Dhami of Darna Kandakot-6, Bannigadhi Jaigarh Rural Municipality of Achham. Hikmat, who was working as a security guard in Dubai after leaving the job of the armed police, came to Russia from Dubai with the expectation of earning 250,000 rubles a month, spending 500,000 rupees. Himmat's wife, Amrita, said they were even more worried after a month of no contact between her husband, who had arrived in Russia in August. She said that on November 10, on the same day that the news of the death of Bharat Shah of Kailali, who had joined the Russian army, came, her husband was injured by a bullet. Hikmat, who was shot under the knee of his left leg, is currently being treated at the hospital. But his family is praying to the gods that nothing happens to Hikmat. After losing contact, we applied to the consular office. When we did not get any help from anywhere, we started calling on Gods and Goddesses, looking at Dhamijankri, Amrita said.

Dambarsin Rai (Khotang), Jyoti Shrestha (Kavre), Kedar Sivakoti (Dolakha), Ramesh Kumar Poudel (Chitwan), Hariram Upreti (Gorkha), Tripti Shahi (Birendranagar) and Menuka Dhungana (Achham)