Tamil Family Says Their Son, Fighting Against Russian Troops, Willing To Leave Ukraine

An Indian student from Coimbatore in Tamilnadu, who had enlisted as a volunteer with the Ukrainian paramilitary group to fight Russia’s invading forces, now wants to return home, his family said. 21-year-old R Sainikesh is a final year student at the National Aerospace University in Kharkiv of war-hit Ukraine. His father Ravinchandran said Sainikesh spoke to him three days ago and expressed his willingness to come back to India. He said the government officials have assured the family that they would trace their son and bring him back. 

Ukraine’s first International legion of territorial defence forces– fighters from the US, Mexico, India, Sweden, and more. pic.twitter.com/1Ni9CPOblg

— Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) March 7, 2022

It may be noted here, before enrolling in a Ukrainian university, Sainikesh had applied to join the Indian Army but got rejected as he couldn’t fulfil the selection criteria. As the war broke out between Ukraine and Russia, he voluntarily joined the foreign country’s paramilitary forces to realise his dream of serving the army. As per media reports, this matter came to light after the Centre and state intelligence officials visited Sainikesh’s residence in Coimbatore for verification.