Bangladeshi Workers Face Combat Duties After Paying Fees for Russian Jobs

Recruitment agencies charged Bangladeshi workers thousands of dollars for Russian job placements that often led to combat rather than civilian labor. Razan Hossain, 22, left his home district in Jhenaidah expecting to earn 75,000 rubles per month as an electrician’s helper. His family sold land to cover roughly 8,000 dollars in visa and travel costs before he boarded a flight in May.

Hossain arrived in Moscow on May 7 with 30 other Bangladeshis. He said the group was transported hundreds of kilometers to a war zone shortly after landing. Despite documents listing him as a construction worker, he was armed and sent toward front lines with almost no training. He returned to Dhaka in late August with severe leg injuries that now require him to use crutches.

His experience matches accounts from other recruits and their families. Hossain described seeing 20 fellow Bangladeshis killed in drone strikes. After being wounded on June 14, he said his commander refused hospital treatment and provided only basic first aid. He alleged beatings and food deprivation when he sought proper care. A sympathetic doctor and the Bangladesh embassy in Moscow eventually facilitated his return home.

A United Nations report published in October detailed an international network of agents that recruited men from 29 countries into Russian armed forces. The report cited deception and fraudulent civilian job offers. Russian authorities deny unlawful recruitment, stating that foreign nationals serve voluntarily under formal military contracts. Amnesty International identified recruits from Brazil, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and South Africa in prisoner of war camps between 2024 and 2026.

Official records show 7,449 Bangladeshis received clearance to work in Russia between January 1, 2025, and October 27, 2026. An investigation by Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds in March found that at least 104 Bangladeshis were recruited into the military and at least 34 had died. The NGO BRAC has urged the government to determine how many citizens remain in Russia and how many are actively fighting.

Bangladeshi authorities confirmed that at least 17 men who arrived in early May died on their first day of deployment. In October, officials arrested two men suspected of trafficking at least 30 Bangladeshis through job promises. Two Kyrgyz-Russian suspects remain sought. No charges have been filed against the three recruiting companies identified in the investigation.

Families continue to seek answers about relatives still abroad. Asif Faijay Nayan’s mother, Firdaus Nigar, said regular contact with her son stopped around the scheduled October 15 end of his four-month service. Firoza Khatun said her son Yasin reported heading to the front in December 2024. Colleagues told her he died on March 27, 2025, and his body remains in Russia while the family seeks to bring it home for burial.