Bangladeshi workers lured to Russia, forced to fight in Ukraine war
The Chronify
An AP investigation reveals that Bangladeshi men were recruited for civilian jobs in Russia but were coerced into military service. Victims say they were threatened and sent to the front lines of the Ukraine war against their will.
Bangladeshi workers were deceived into travelling to Russia with promises of civilian employment, only to be forced into fighting in the war against Ukraine, according to an investigation by the Associated Press (AP).
One of the victims, Maksudur Rahman, said a labour recruiter convinced him to leave his hometown in Bangladesh for a janitorial job in Russia. However, within weeks of arriving in Moscow, he found himself sent to a military camp instead of a workplace.
AP spoke to three Bangladeshi men who later escaped from the Russian military. They said they were compelled to sign Russian-language documents that later turned out to be military contracts. The men said they were never informed that the documents would enlist them in the army.
According to their accounts, they were transferred to an army training facility where they received instruction in drone warfare, medical evacuation, and basic combat tactics using heavy weapons.
Rahman said he protested after realizing he was being prepared for war, insisting that this was not the job he had agreed to. In response, a Russian commander reportedly used a translation app to deliver a chilling message:
“Your agent sent you here. We bought you.”
The men told AP they were threatened with imprisonment, violence, or death if they refused to comply. Many were later deployed close to active combat zones in Ukraine.
The investigation raises serious concerns about human trafficking, forced recruitment, and the exploitation of migrant workers amid Russia’s ongoing war, with Bangladeshis among those caught in the conflict far from home.
One of the victims, Maksudur Rahman, said a labour recruiter convinced him to leave his hometown in Bangladesh for a janitorial job in Russia. However, within weeks of arriving in Moscow, he found himself sent to a military camp instead of a workplace.
AP spoke to three Bangladeshi men who later escaped from the Russian military. They said they were compelled to sign Russian-language documents that later turned out to be military contracts. The men said they were never informed that the documents would enlist them in the army.
According to their accounts, they were transferred to an army training facility where they received instruction in drone warfare, medical evacuation, and basic combat tactics using heavy weapons.
Rahman said he protested after realizing he was being prepared for war, insisting that this was not the job he had agreed to. In response, a Russian commander reportedly used a translation app to deliver a chilling message:
“Your agent sent you here. We bought you.”
The men told AP they were threatened with imprisonment, violence, or death if they refused to comply. Many were later deployed close to active combat zones in Ukraine.
The investigation raises serious concerns about human trafficking, forced recruitment, and the exploitation of migrant workers amid Russia’s ongoing war, with Bangladeshis among those caught in the conflict far from home.
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