LAKSHMIPUR, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladeshi workers were lured to Russia under the false promise of civilian work and then forced to fight in Ukraine’s war, an Associated Press investigation has found.
In interviews with three men who fled Russia, and the families of three others who are missing, the AP documented a pattern of deception by recruiters who lured workers with promises of lucrative job opportunities, only for them to unknowingly sign contracts for military service.
The returning Bangladeshi men — Maksudur Rahman, Mohan Miajee and Jehangir Alam — recounted harrowing experiences, including being forced to transport supplies to forward positions, evacuate the wounded and collect corpses.
Neither the Russian Defense Ministry nor the South Asian country’s government responded to a list of questions from AP.
Here’s a closer look at AP’s report on how Bangladeshi workers were tricked into fighting in Ukraine.
Bangladeshi men lured by the promise of work
Labor agents in poor communities in Bangladesh approached the men to travel to Russia in late 2024, convincing them that they could secure jobs, and even gain residency over time, by working as cooks, cleaners and laundresses in Russian army garrisons.
The accounts of the three men, and interviews with the families of those still unaccounted for, were substantiated with documents, including visas, military contracts, and army dog tags.
The men who escaped and the families of the missing persons indicated that the men were encouraged by promises of lucrative job opportunities given by local recruiters. Many have taken out loans or sold property to cover the processing fees charged by agents, believing they will easily recoup their investment with the salaries they earn.
The exact number of Bangladeshi men currently fighting in Russia remains unclear. The three men indicated to AP that the figure could be in the hundreds.
A Bangladeshi police investigator told AP that as many as 40 Bangladeshis may have lost their lives in the war.
Sent to battle and threatened
Upon their arrival in Russia, the husbands and families of the missing persons reported that they were forced to sign military contracts written in Russian, a language they did not understand. They believed this was standard procedure and expected to proceed with civilian jobs.
Soon after, the men were taken to an army camp where they were subjected to basic military training, which included drone tactics. Confused and alarmed, they reached out to their families and asked the local agent about the training. The agent claimed it was a standard requirement for a country at war.
As soon as it became evident that the men would be deployed on the front lines, they expressed objections. One man recounted being told by a Russian commander that he had effectively been sold. Faced with threats of imprisonment, beatings, and even death, the men felt trapped.
They were forced to transport supplies to forward positions, evacuate the wounded and collect the dead. Some have reported being used as human shields in the conflict.
False promises of positions away from the fight
There are also cases of Bangladeshis who voluntarily entered the war but were misled about the dangerous roles they would occupy.
One man, who grew disillusioned with his job as an electrician at a gas processing facility in the remote Far East, voluntarily signed up for military service after being promised by a recruiter that he would not see combat.
The recruiter had approached him online while looking for a new job, claiming that his electrical experience made him an ideal candidate for positions in electronic warfare or drone units. However, upon arriving at a Russian army camp in Ukraine, he was informed that such jobs did not exist.
He soon faced threats, beatings and torture for refusing to comply with assigned tasks. In the end, he was forced to collect the corpses.
Bangladeshi authorities investigate trafficking
Bangladeshi investigators are probing trafficking networks allegedly operated by local middlemen with ties to the Russian government who authorities believe are responsible for recruiting Bangladeshi men to fight in the Ukraine war.
The investigation was prompted by the return of a Bangladeshi man from Russia in January 2025. He claimed he was tricked into joining the military. This led the authorities to uncover nine other people who reported being trafficked. A key figure in the network, a Bangladeshi national with Russian citizenship living in Moscow, has been charged.
Little is known about the network responsible for trafficking the men interviewed by AP. But the individuals were sent to Russia through a now defunct local recruitment agency called SP Global. The company did not respond to AP’s calls and emails. The investigators found that it stopped operating in 2025.