Who Was Binil TB, Kerala Man Who Died Fighting in Russia-Ukraine War?

New Delhi: Binil TB, an Indian man from Kerala who was serving in the Russian mercenary force died on the frontlines of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. As per reports, TB, a resident of Kuttanellur in Kerala's Thrissur district succumbed to his gun wounds last week. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officially confirmed the devastating news to the country and his family.

Meanwhile, his brother Jain TK survived the injuries. In a heart-wrenching moment, the 27-year-old was able to contact the family on WhatsApp to inform them about his arrival in Moscow.

Who Was Binil TB?

Binil TB was a 32-year-old man, hailing from Kerala's Kuttanellur had been trapped in a war zone since June 2024. TB along with Jain were allegedly recruited illegally by a Russian mercenary agency after they were promised jobs as electricians by it that brought them to Russia.

Binil was a mechanical diploma holder who travelled to Russia in April 2024, to work as an electrician. He fled to Russia along with Jain on private visas arranged by their relative who had already been serving in the Russian military.

However, after arriving in Russia their passports were confiscated and both were directly sent to a war zone as part of the Russian Military Support Service, his family claimed.

As per sources, at first, their responsibilities involved distributing food and supplies to soldiers stationed at the war front. However, due to lack of personnel, both were provided with weapons and were given minimal training to fight on the frontline.

His wife, Joicy John stated that Binil could only contact his family once a week, usually Saturday, as per media reports.

Speaking to PTI last month, Joicy said, "I have lost all peace of mind as it has been seven months since they left. Until June, we were in regular contact with Binil. After that, we didn’t hear anything from him. We assumed he was undergoing training and unable to use his mobile phone. It was only later that we learned they had lost everything."

In an emotional voice message last month, Binil said, "The situation has worsened, and we have been told to go to the war front today. They instructed us to send a message home before leaving. Please inform everyone else."