Undeterred by reports of scores of Indians in Russia being forcibly drafted into the Ukraine war – some of whom have died – Mr Rakesh Shah still wants to travel to Russia to work in construction, underlining the risks Indian workers are willing to take for employment.

Rubbing his hands against the winter chill as he stood outside a government-accredited recruitment firm in New Delhi, Mr Shah said his determination to provide a better life for his family outweighs his concerns over the risks from the war in the region.

He feels a little reassured by a yet-to-be operationalised mobility agreement signed between India and Russia in December 2025 that should enable the Indian authorities to track who is going to Russia.

“For work and supporting my family, I am ready to go to Russia,” said Mr Shah, 37, who left his job in Dubai a few months ago and is willing to take the chance to earn more in Russia.

During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closely watched visit to India in December 2025, the two countries agreed to ease the movement of Indian workers to Russia. They also pledged to increase bilateral trade.

The agreements with Russia “will open up new avenues for collaboration between the two countries”, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, in response to a question from The Straits Times at a Jan 9 briefing.

“We look forward to putting this into action,” he said. “There is a requirement on both sides to strengthen our economic partnership, our technology partnership.”

On paper, it is a win-win for labour-starved Russia and labour-surplus India. In reality, however, as logistical, bureaucratic and human elements come into play, this partnership might be far from straightforward.

The deal has brought into focus India’s push for labour mobility deals amid concerns that there are not enough safeguards to protect blue-collar Indian workers, most of whom are less educated and vulnerable to exploitation, going overseas for work.

India has been eager in pursuing such labour deals to turn its population boom into an economic engine. India’s official data shows its unemployment rate is going down, but job seekers are plagued by uneven economic growth, mismatch between skills and jobs, and stagnant incomes.

There are more than nine million Indian migrant workers in the Gulf region. Millions more skilled and unskilled workers work across the United States, Europe and South-east Asia, with more opportunities opening up for Indians in Russia, Israel, Japan and Taiwan.

“There is opportunity (for workers), and this is the right time to grab the opportunity. We have the skill sets and manpower availability, but we have to create a proper corridor and give opportunity to

the right people,” said Mr Alijan Rajan, managing director of Vira International Placements, a Mumbai-based recruitment agency that has sent Indian workers to many overseas destinations.

He added that India, with its large working-age population, is in a commanding position when it comes to leveraging its workforce globally.

According to Indian government data, remittances to India in 2024 were US$135 billion (S$173.6 billion) – a crucial revenue stream and foreign exchange.

“It’s an important way to leverage India’s massive youth population into a strategic asset while protecting their rights and welfare abroad,” said Dr Karthik Nachiappan, research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.

As developed countries grapple with an ageing workforce and increasingly severe labour shortages, demand for Indian workers is expected to increase.

“The Indian government cares about making migration safer, more orderly, and mutually beneficial. And these (labour) agreements help facilitate that by helping set minimum standards on wages, working conditions, rights and repatriation,” Dr Nachiappan said.

To increase oversight, India is seeking to replace an old migration law with an Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2025.

Under the Bill, which is yet to be passed by Parliament, the government proposes the setting up of an Overseas Mobility and Welfare Council to coordinate policy for workers across government bodies and ministries. The Bill also proposes to create a mechanism to oversee the administration and implementation of international agreements on migration and mobility.

Despite such efforts, there is scepticism among migration experts and activists about the implementation of such agreements.

In Russia, over the past two to three years, as many as 202 Indian workers, based on Indian government figures, are believed to have been recruited or duped into fighting for Russia in Ukraine since 2022. Of these, 26 died.

The families of these workers say they were lured by agents promising well-paying non-military jobs and went to Russia on visitor visas.

On Jan 3, the body of Mandeep Kumar, said to have died fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, was returned to his home in Punjab state, after he went missing in Russia in March 2024.

His family said he was promised a job in Italy by agents but sent to the Russian front lines instead.

In the absence of extensive efforts from the Indian government, the possibility of more Indian workers being deceived or incentivised into joining Russia’s war effort remains very real. There do not appear to be clear frameworks for the rescue of those who might fall into this trap.

“There are no effective labour protection laws in Russia. Migrants duped into joining war efforts will have to be rescued by their diplomatic missions,” said Dr Bhavna Dave, senior lecturer at the University of London.

“Indian diplomatic missions tend to focus on promoting trade and high-level contacts and will find it quite bothersome to work to defend the rights of relatively low-skilled and less-educated (Indians) who join the war efforts.”

It is not just in Russia where Indian migrant workers remain vulnerable. Elsewhere, challenges such as poor living conditions and skills mismatch crop up periodically, even when these worker movements have been managed through government-to-government deals.

Migration experts said that further checks and balances are required.

An investigation by The Indian Express newspaper in 2024 found many instances of skills mismatches after workers were sent to Israel through formal channels. A man who had been recruited as a mason was made to work as a cleaner, its report said.

Over 20,000 Indians were employed in Israel as at July 2025. Among them, 6,774 were sent through an agreement between the two governments.

“The signing of (labour) agreements and Bills – these are the first steps in the right direction of a larger collaboration,” said Professor S. Irudaya Rajan, chair of the International Institute of Migration and Development, a think-tank. “We have to find out how workers are faring. It is a dynamic agreement. You need to follow up.”

He said that that labour agreements need to be updated annually, reflecting ground realities.

Recruitment agents ST spoke to said there is need for stricter border controls amid questions over New Delhi’s ability to ensure worker safety and preventing abuses.

Far from these debates and desperate to make a living, Mr Sunil Mohit, 28, a welder from Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, is keen to travel to anywhere in Europe for work after a year of unemployment.

“Why would I leave India and go overseas if I could get a good salary here?” said Mr Mohit, a father of two, who returned from Dubai a year ago and has been unable to find a well-paid job.

“I have one rupee in my pocket. How will I take care of my family?”

In Association With ANN