10 Months On, Kerala Woman Awaits Death Certificate Of Husband Killed In Russia-Ukraine War Zone

File photo of an explosion in a building in Ukraine. (AP photo)

The family of Binil Babu, who was reportedly recruited to serve in the Russian Army and later died, continues to await his mortal remains and death certificate.

A native of Kerala, Babu’s death was confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs in January, and since then, the grief-stricken family has been anxiously waiting to see him for the last time.

For the past ten months, his wife, Joyce (26), has been living a painful reality that mirrors the title of the novel Death Certificate. With her one-and-a-half-year-old son, Jake Antonio Binil, she has been desperately searching for proof of her husband’s death, who was reportedly killed while serving as a Russian mercenary in the war against Ukraine.

Joyce has been running from one government office to another to get a minor spelling error in her son’s Aadhaar card corrected. The task has become an impossible hurdle because to get it corrected, she needs her husband’s death certificate, according to a report by news outlet Kaumudi Kerala.

Following the news of the Keralite’s death, there have been no more updates regarding his whereabouts. In July, the Indian Embassy in Russia collected a DNA sample from Binil’s father, Babu, but the results are still pending. Initial reports claimed Binil had died in combat, but later updates listed him as “missing.” According to the embassy, they are awaiting the Russian military court’s final verdict before issuing any confirmation.

Joyce has reached out to every possible authority — the Chief Minister’s Office, Norka Roots, the Ministry of External Affairs, and Union Minister Suresh Gopi — but with no progress. Even local authorities have been unable to help. When she approached the municipal corporation to correct her son’s name, officials demanded a death certificate, which cannot be issued without confirmation from Russia.

The tragic chapter of Binil’s life unfolded when a relative allegedly recruited him for a job as an electrician in Poland, taking Rs 1.4 lakh as payment. Later, he was diverted to Russia under the pretext that the Polish job was unsuitable and was instead placed with a Russian mercenary group. One of his companions, Jain Kurian, who was injured in a drone attack and returned home, has since resumed civilian work — but for Joyce, the wait for closure continues.