Father Dies of Kidney Disease in Malaysia; Son Who Went to Russia to Repay Debt Held as Prisoner of War in Ukraine

After his father returned from overseas employment suffering from kidney problems and eventually died during treatment, Pratik Pun from Runti Hadi Rural Municipality in Rolpa, who had gone to Russia three years ago with dreams of repaying family debts, faced a tragic path. His mother, Tilkumari, had pleaded with him not to go to a ‘big country,’ saying, “We are poor and suffering people; we don’t want to see big countries. If you want to earn, go to Malaysia.” However, what happened afterward is unclear, she told on the phone on Monday. Relatives had advised him to learn Korean and go to South Korea, but since the language exam would take a long time to pass, he did not choose that option. Tilkumari has no idea how her only son, who had planned to go to Portugal, ended up in Russia. All she remembers now is the burden of the debt, which amounts to about NPR 1.3 million.

After reaching Russia, Pratik informed his mother that he was there on a student visa. Later, he told her he had been recruited into the Russian army. A few days after promising to send NPR 500,000, Pratik lost contact with his mother, Tilkumari recounted. Just months after arriving in Russia, on December 24, 2023, news arrived that Pratik was captured by the Ukrainian army and held as a prisoner of war. On January 18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Pratik Pun from Rolpa, along with Vivek Khatri from Bardiya, Siddhartha Dhakal from Kavrepalanchok, and Vikas Rai from Morang, are among Nepalese detainees in Ukraine. The ministry also said that Nepalese individuals from districts such as Chitwan, Khotang, and Gorkha who were recruited into the Russian army after reaching Russia are now prisoners of war in Ukraine. Of these, five, including Pratik, have been held captive since 2023.

Pratik’s father had worked in Malaysia for 11 years but developed a kidney problem. After having dialysis for three years in Nepal, he passed away four years ago, Tilkumari explained. In March 2024, Ukraine released a video showing prisoners of war including five Nepalese citizens and urged countries, including Nepal, not to allow their citizens to be recruited by the Russian army. The video features foreign nationals who voluntarily joined the Russian forces and were captured by Ukrainian authorities, including Pratik. Tilkumari felt some relief seeing the video that showed her son alive, especially after over 125 Nepali youths who joined the Russian army had lost their lives. Letters from Pratik convey that he is in good condition, but the mother’s heart finds no peace until she sees those letters. Tilkumari remains determined that if her son returns safely to Nepal, they will repay the debt even by doing daily wage labor.

“If possible, if someone could come, even if we have to sit in a small hut or on the street, as long as we have hands and legs, we have to make a living; what else is there?” she said. Since the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war that started in February 2022, there have been reports of Nepali citizens joining the Russian army. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Nepali recruits who have gone missing in the Russian army has reached 125. Pratik has been writing letters to his mother from the Ukrainian prison every three months. The letters reach Tilkumari, now living in Bijauri of Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City in Dang, where she has been doing wage labor for the past few years after moving from Rolpa. “In his letters, he writes he is not alone, mom. There are six or seven of us; don’t worry,” the mother shared. “But still, it’s stressful—it’s my only son.”