Frustrated families urge to bring back loved ones trafficked to Russo-Ukrainian War

Several Family members on their way to the Presidential Secretariat   

Families and activists outside the Presidential Secretariat yesterday

(Photo by Waruna Wanniarachchi)

Families holding a photograph that they had received of their loved ones donned in Russian military uniforms fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war

(Photo by Waruna Wanniarachchi)

Wasana Dissanayake (Photo by Safrah Fazal)

Sujanikanth Bavani (Photo by Safrah Fazal)

Families of victims trafficked into Russia and forcibly conscripted into the Russian army, alongside activists, gathered outside the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (6th January), once again urging authorities to intervene and bring their loved ones home.

Pleas of families

Sujanikanth Pakeerathan, a 21-year-old from Karaveddy in Jaffna, was trafficked to Russia in October 2024 by an individual known to the family, who was living in Belgium. “My son was supposed to travel to Belgium through Russia. Upon landing at the airport in Russia, the travel agent told him that an Army commander would pick him up and everything was fine. However, he was taken from the airport and held in a room for a week. His passport and belongings were confiscated and a signature was forcibly obtained from him on a document. He underwent 15 days of military training before being sent to war zones. He has sent me voice recordings, pleading to be brought back home, saying they are severely injured and in life-threatening situations,” his mother, Sujanikanth Bavani, told Daily Mirror.

She added, “My son never wanted to join the Russian army or serve in war zones; he only went abroad to support our family financially. I’m a single mother, and he’s the only child who I raised with great hardship. We need the government’s help to bring our children back. We are desperate and don’t know what to do. On December 2nd, we submitted a letter to the Presidential Secretariat, as well as letters to the United Nations Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Russian Embassy. But we have received no response so far. The President sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but we haven’t heard anything. Our loved ones are fighting for their lives. We urge the President to intervene and rescue them. We even filed a complaint with the police, but nothing has been communicated to us.”

Five victims, including Pakeerathan, were allegedly trafficked in October 2024 by an agent who promised employment in Belgium or France for a sum of six million Sri Lankan Rupees. The agent assured them they would travel through Russia to reach Europe, with the Russian army allegedly facilitating the journey across the Russian-Finland border. Upon arrival in Russia, the victims were told they would receive identification cards for travel to Europe.

The victims were brought together in a room in Russia, where they were coerced into signing a document written in Russian, under the false claim that it was merely a procedural requirement for crossing into Europe. They were then issued Russian Army identification cards, which were supposedly necessary for their transportation. Each victim had allegedly received 600,000 Sri Lankan Rupees as a one-month salary but was immediately instructed to transfer the amount to an official to cover their border crossing fees. Their mobile phones were confiscated by Russian army officials, and they were deployed to the front lines. After undergoing 15 days of compulsory military training, they were sent to the Ukrainian border.

Families have received voice recordings of the victims crying and begging for help, fearing for their lives on the front lines in Russia. 

Meanwhile, Nishantha Pradeepkumara, who is 40 and the husband of Wasana Dissanayake, has also been serving in the Russian army, though it remains unclear whether he was trafficked or joined willingly. “He left Sri Lanka on September 27th, but he never mentioned he was going to join the Russian army. After arriving in Russia, he called me and said he had joined the Russian army. We don’t know if he was forcibly recruited or if he volunteered. For about two weeks, he called me 4 to 5 times, mentioning he was receiving pay and had deposited some money into my account. He also said that 10 other Sri Lankans had joined him, and that some were injured while others had lost their lives.”

Dissanayake said the last call from her husband was on November 13th 2024. Since then, there has been no information. “We have informed the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), the Red Cross, and the Ministry of Defence, but we haven’t received any updates. I have two children: a 17-year-old daughter who is following a course and a son preparing for his Grade 5 scholarship exams next year. We don’t know what to do.”

Lack of Response from Authorities

The families emphasised that, despite their attempts to file complaints with the police, their pleas were ignored. On December 2nd 2024, they formally submitted complaints to the Russian Embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidential Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office, UN organisations, and the National Task Force on Human Trafficking. However, the Russian Embassy in Colombo refused to accept the complaint, claiming they had no connection to the matter and directed the families to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Moscow. On the same day, the Presidential Secretariat instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take immediate action. While the families were able to communicate with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra, who assured them that the victims would be brought home soon, a month has passed without any updates or information on any actions taken by the Ministry. Meanwhile, contact with their loved ones in the war zone has been completely lost, and no tangible progress appears to have been made.

“This prolonged silence has raised serious concerns and suspicions. We now fear that a mafia or other illicit entities may be involved with state officials’ support, and we are increasingly doubtful that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the capability to resolve this issue effectively. On January 1st, the President launched the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ programme, addressing government negligence and calling for accountability. The mafia involved in trafficking young men to Russia has clearly passed through immigration and other airport checkpoints, indicating that some high-ranking government officials may be complicit in this human trafficking operation,” the families stated in their letters to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath.

Human rights activist Shreen Abdul Saroor, speaking to the Daily Mirror, stressed the government’s lack of response, despite the families’ repeated appeals. “The families want to know what the President has done so far. They also want to ensure that the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka is called to the Foreign Ministry to address the issue of Sri Lankans being trafficked to the war zones in Russia.”

Human rights lawyer Swasthika Arulingam, who was also present at the Presidential Secretariat in support of the victims’ families, added, “We are completely opposed to this, and we are hearing from the government that there are around 500 families who have gone through this same ordeal. What we are requesting today is for the government to urgently engage with the Russian Embassy to bring these people back, as they are caught between warring factions.” She further noted that such incidents were a direct result of the country’s economic situation and urged the government to take measures to prevent people from falling prey to scams like these due to their desperation to escape poverty.

More Assurances

Yesterday, the families met with officials at the Presidential Secretariat, who assured them that President Dissanayake would be informed of the matter. They strongly appealed to prevent such incidents from occurring again, as people continue to be trafficked to Russia and Ukraine to fight in wars. The families also held a protest outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before they met with Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Arun Hemachandra. Minister Hemachandra acknowledged the gravity of the issue, emphasising the need for greater awareness. He further assured that a CID investigation would be launched and that diplomatic negotiations would be pursued to bring the victims back safely.