World
Wife of Kanpur Engineer Detained in Moscow Alleges Pressure to Join Russian Army, Seeks Help
An Indian woman living in Moscow has made a public appeal for assistance after alleging that her husband, an engineer from Kanpur, was detained by Russian police and pressured to join the Russian military. The woman, Sneha Gupta, who describes herself as an advocate on her Instagram profile, shared the allegations in a video posted on social media on Sunday.
In the video, Sneha identified her husband as Chandan Gupta, an engineer from Kanpur. She said her family had been living in Moscow on his "highly qualified specialist" visa, which was issued through a company based in Noida that employed him.
Sneha alleged that Russian police detained her husband around 12:30 am local time on Sunday and that authorities continued to hold him despite his having done nothing wrong. She claimed the detention was linked to efforts by Russian authorities to recruit foreign nationals into the military amid a shortage of personnel.
Speaking in the video, Sneha said she and her husband have a 10-year-old son. She expressed distress over the situation, noting that she does not speak Russian and is unsure how to navigate the circumstances. She appealed directly to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying, "The police here took my husband away at around 12.30 am at night. They are not releasing him. How are we supposed to leave this place? Please help my husband and get him released."
The Indian Embassy in Russia responded to the appeal on the same day, stating on social media platform X that it was in contact with Sneha and local authorities regarding the matter. The embassy noted that according to law enforcement authorities, the case is a legal matter currently under review. It confirmed that it has sought consular access to Chandan Gupta.