20 out of 30 Bangladeshis trafficked to Russia killed

Says SRB; 17 died on their first day on the frontline

At least 30 Bangladeshis were trafficked to Russia with promises of high-paying jobs, only to be forced to join the Russian military and sent to the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war after just 21 days of training, the Special Response Battalion (SRB) said yesterday.

Of them, 20 have reportedly died, including 17 in drone strikes on their first day of deployment. The victims were allegedly used as “bait” to reveal enemy positions, the battalion said.

At a press conference at the SRB Media Centre in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar, SRB-10 Commander Additional DIG Md Asaduzzaman said two men, including Mizanur Rahman, the alleged mastermind of the trafficking ring, were arrested on October 13.

The other arrestee was identified as Abu Taher Lentu.

According to the SRB, the syndicate lured the victims to Russia with promises of construction jobs before handing them over to the Russian military.

The 30 Bangladeshis travelled to Russia on May 7 this year through three recruiting agencies: Jabal-e-Noor, RS International and TS Group. Each reportedly paid an average of Tk 10 lakh for the promised jobs.

Upon arrival, however, they were denied the jobs and handed over to the military. After just 21 days of training, they were deployed to the battlefield, the SRB said.

“Those taken from Bangladesh were not qualified for combat. They had no physical preparation, military training or tactical skills. So why were they sent to the battlefield after just 21 days of training?” Asaduzzaman said.

He said investigators believed the Bangladeshis were deployed as bait.

“When opposing forces launched drone strikes against them, the attacks revealed the enemy’s positions,” he added.

The SRB said the Bangladeshis were deployed in three sections of the battlefield: the front, middle and rear. Seventeen reportedly died in drone strikes on the first day, while three others died later.

The battalion said it had so far confirmed the deaths of 20 of the 30 Bangladeshis.

Of the 10 survivors, two injured men have returned to Bangladesh, while two others are receiving treatment at a hospital in Moscow. The remaining six are still on the battlefield, according to the SRB.

Asaduzzaman said one of the returnees, identified as Rajon, suffered a fractured lower back and lower-body paralysis following a drone strike. He dragged himself on his chest for nearly four kilometres to reach a camp.

The SRB official said most of the victims came from impoverished backgrounds, with some taking out substantial loans to finance their journeys. Many families have received news of their relatives’ deaths but have been unable to see their bodies or bring them home.

The victims came from several districts, including Gopalganj, Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Jamalpur, Pabna, Chapainawabganj, Faridpur, Rajbari and Gazipur.

Asaduzzaman said investigators had also gathered preliminary evidence suggesting that nationals of several other countries had been recruited through similar methods to fight in the war.

The SRB said a Russian national named Igor and a Kyrgyzstani woman named Julia were also allegedly involved in the operation, alongside Bangladeshi members of the ring.

The battalion is gathering information about the two foreign suspects and conducting drives to arrest another alleged syndicate member, identified as Mostafizur.

In March, a joint investigation by Bangkok-based Fortify Rights and Ukraine-based Truth Hounds found that at least 104 Bangladeshis had been recruited into the Russian military by February 2026, with at least 34 reportedly killed in the fighting. Researchers interviewed survivors, relatives of the deceased and other sources in Bangladesh and Ukraine.

The investigation found that recruiters targeted economically vulnerable men with promises of jobs as cleaners, factory workers, electricians and security guards. Some travelled through Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates before reaching Russia, where they were allegedly forced to sign military contracts in Russian, a language they did not understand.

Several reported receiving little training before being sent to the front lines, while others described beatings, unpaid wages, passport confiscation and threats when they tried to escape.

In April 2025, The Daily Star reported that the Criminal Investigation Department’s Human Trafficking Cell was investigating allegations that Dhaka-based Dream Home Travel had trafficked around 20 Bangladeshis to Russia with promises of civilian jobs paying monthly salaries of Tk 2 lakh to Tk 2.5 lakh.

Investigators said at the time that three of the men had been killed after allegedly being forced into combat.