Abdullah Al Mamun of Lalmonirhat went to Russia hoping to secure a well-paying job and improve his family's financial condition. But his dream never came true. Instead, he ended up at a military camp after arriving in the country. The day before he was sent to the battlefield following training, Mamun called his younger brother Roni back home and said, "They are sending me to war. We may never see each other again. If we do not meet in this world, we will meet on the Day of Judgement."
Mamun's father, Abdul Majid, told Prothom Alo these words. He said he had not been able to contact his son since he was taken to the war. Later, Roni called Al Amin, who had travelled to Russia with Mamun. Al Amin informed him that Mamun had died.
A gayebana janaza was then arranged in their village. However, as his death had not been confirmed, people who came to attend the prayer did not perform the funeral prayer but instead offered munajat.
Five months have passed since then. The debt-ridden family is now helpless. Mamun's wife, who has a one-year-old son, has no idea how to move forward.
On 7 May, Mamun and 29 other Bangladeshis travelled from Dhaka to Russia in search of well-paid jobs. But after 21 days of training there, they were divided into groups of 16, eight and six and sent to the battlefield. Many of them reportedly died around 12 and 13 June. Two were admitted to hospital and later fled back to Bangladesh. They are Adnan Hossain of Narayanganj and Rajon Hossain of Jhenaidah. They provided information about the deaths of the others.
The number of Bangladeshis travelling to Russia has increased over the past few years. Many are being deceived and drawn into the Russia-Ukraine war. However, their bodies are not returned, nor are their deaths officially announced. Although they are officially listed as missing, their families know that they are dead. So far, at least 54 deaths have been reported over the past three years.
Adnan told Prothom Alo that Russia does not disclose information about the deaths of Bangladeshis in the war. Their bodies are not returned either. If someone does not return from the frontline, they are declared missing. But being missing means death. There is no other reason for return.
Adnan was admitted to a hospital in Moscow with shrapnel wounds to his abdomen after being injured on the battlefield. He underwent three surgeries and could not get out of bed for one and a half months. After spending two consecutive months in hospital, he fled to the Bangladesh Embassy. He then returned home on 15 September with a travel pass.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Russia has repeatedly raised objections to workers being sent without proper verification. In a letter sent by the embassy's labour wing to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment on 25 May, it said recruiting agency Jabal-E-Noor had sought permission on 5 May to send 70 workers, but the embassy did not attest to the documents.
The SRB, intelligence agencies and officials concerned said none of the Bangladeshis taken from the country was actually qualified to fight in a war. They lacked the physical fitness, training and tactical skills required for combat. Instead, they were primarily sent to the frontline and used as bait to identify enemy positions. When the opposing side launches drone attacks on them, Russian troops identify the enemy's positions.
Initially, RS International was supposed to bring 10 workers, but the process was suspended after suspicions arose. Later, on 18 May, a worker's family called the embassy and informed it that 30 people had travelled to Russia through Jabal-E-Noor and RS International and were being sent to the battlefield.
An investigation found that, as the two agencies failed to obtain attestation, the workers were sent under the name of TS Overseas.
The letter called for an investigation into the workers being sent without the embassy's approval. It also said a letter was being sent to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting that the workers be brought back to the jobs specified in their employment contracts instead of being sent to war.
Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Russian government has been providing the Bangladesh Embassy with information about Bangladeshis reported missing or killed on the battlefield over the past four to five months. So far, Russia has provided details of 40 individuals, without specifying how many were killed and how many remain missing. The Russian authorities have yet to provide any information on the deaths of the latest 20 individuals.
Compensation may be claimed if someone dies in the war or remains missing for more than six months. However, obtaining compensation from Russia involves a complex process, including establishing the legal heirs and requiring the heirs to travel to Russia and stay there for at least six months. The bodies cannot be recovered either. Regular discussions are under way with Russia through diplomatic channels.
Russia has emerged as an important new labour market for Bangladesh. The number of workers being sent to the country began to rise mainly after the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in 2022. A network has been sending Bangladeshi workers to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war. Some regularly flee the battlefield and return home. Some die there, while others send messages pleading to be brought back to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Russia, Md Nazrul Islam, told Prothom Alo that more than 90 per cent of the workers had gone to war of their own accord. Regarding the latest 30 individuals, the Russian side had also informed Bangladesh that they had joined the war voluntarily. Russia has written evidence to support this claim.
The Russian authorities are also refusing to hand over the bodies, making it impossible to bring them back to Bangladesh, he added.
No compensation without proof of death
Two organisations, Bangkok-based Fortify Rights and Ukraine-based Truth Hounds, said last March that 34 of more than 100 young Bangladeshis, who had joined the war in Ukraine on behalf of Russia, had been killed by that time.
At a press conference on 14 October, the Special Response Battalion (SRB) said 30 Bangladeshis had been sent to the battlefield in June after 21 days of training. The SRB had received information about the deaths of at least 20 of them.
Prothom Alo spoke to two men who returned home after being wounded and the families of six others. They said the men had pleaded with their families before being sent to the battlefield in June. When their families contacted the recruiting agency, it promised to take responsibility for them. However, they started going missing from the first week of June. Although their families received news of their deaths, they could not obtain any proof. The bodies of foreign nationals killed on the battlefield are not recovered; they are left there.
The Wage Earners' Welfare Board said it takes responsibility for bringing home the bodies of migrant workers who die abroad. After a worker's death, their family must submit an application. If the worker had obtained clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) before leaving the country or registered for membership with the embassy after going abroad, the board bears the cost of bringing the body home.
Even if neither of these conditions is met, the family can apply to the board. In that case, the board sends a proposal to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment. The ministry provides the funds to bring the body back to Bangladesh, with an allocation for this purpose included in the annual budget.
The board provides Tk 35,000 in cash assistance for the burial of each deceased worker whose body is brought back to the country. It then provides financial assistance of Tk 300,000. In addition, the worker's family is now entitled to life insurance benefits. If there are any compensation claims abroad, the embassy arranges to recover the money. The embassy also takes steps to recover any outstanding dues owed to the deceased worker.
However, the Welfare Board has not received any application so far to bring back the bodies of Bangladeshis from Russia. As there is no proof of their deaths, their families are unable to apply. As a result, none of them is receiving any compensation.
Pleas to return home
The SRB, intelligence agencies and officials concerned said none of the Bangladeshis taken from the country was actually qualified to fight in a war. They lacked the physical fitness, training and tactical skills required for combat. Instead, they were primarily sent to the frontline and used as bait to identify enemy positions. When the opposing side launches drone attacks on them, Russian troops identify the enemy's positions.
The SRB has also confirmed this in its preliminary investigation. Some manage to escape and return home when they get an opportunity to save their lives.
The SRB said the 30 Bangladeshis travelled to Russia on 7 May this year through three organisations — Jabal-E-Noor, RS International and TS Group. They were each charged an average of around Tk 1 million on the promise of jobs at construction companies. However, after arriving in Russia, they were handed over to the Russian military instead of being given the promised jobs.
Mizanur Rahman, founder of Jabal-E-Noor International, and Abu Taher, also known as Lentu, have been arrested as central figures in the human trafficking network.
Md Palash Sheikh was one of the 30 Bangladeshis. A group of 16 Bangladeshis was sent to the battlefield, and most members of the group are missing. Palash was wounded and admitted to hospital during his first deployment. During his second deployment, he lost an arm. He is now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Moscow.
His cousin Abu Saleh Islam told Prothom Alo that Palash Sheikh had been deceived by promises of a job and had been hospitalised for 22 days. Despite approaching the embassy and the ministry to bring him back home, the family had received no assistance.
Abu Saleh Islam further said that Palash Sheikh cannot even escape from the hospital because of the presence of armed guards. Although the family spent Tk 1 million to send him to Russia, they have received no money in return.
Prothom Alo has obtained 28 separate letters submitted by the families to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment in July, seeking the return of their missing relatives.
The letters said the men had travelled to Russia through brokers in search of employment and a better life. Jabal-E-Noor International in Khilkhet and RS International in Ashulia had sent them to Russia. Lured by promises of high salaries, they were taken to Russia and handed over to the country's military.
The letters further said that preparations to send them to war had been completed and they could be forced to join the fighting at any time. The families urged the authorities to ensure their safe and speedy return to Bangladesh. They also sought financial assistance from the government.
Flow of workers to Russia continues
Rajon Hossain, 21, from Jhenaidah was among the group of 30 Bangladeshis who travelled to Russia on 7 May. Although he paid a broker Tk 1 million in the hope of getting a high-paying job, he never received one. After keeping him in a hotel for four days, the recruiters obtained his signature on a document and sent him to a military camp.
He told Prothom Alo that after 21 days of training, he was sent to the frontline along with five other Bangladeshis. Four of them were killed in drone attacks. Rajon was wounded and admitted to hospital, from where he escaped and returned to Bangladesh.
Earlier, Jahangir Alam from Lakshmipur was sent to Russia last year on the promise of a job as a cook at a military cantonment. He told Prothom Alo that he was handed a weapon and sent to the battlefield without any training. There were 16 of them in the group, and four were killed at the outset. He escaped from hospital and returned home.
Russia has emerged as an important new labour market for Bangladesh. The number of workers being sent to the country began to rise mainly after the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in 2022. A network has been sending Bangladeshi workers to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Some regularly flee the battlefield and return home. Some die there, while others send messages pleading to be brought back to Bangladesh. Yet the number of people travelling to Russia continues to rise.
According to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), only 37 people obtained clearance to travel to Russia in 2023. The figure rose to 1,395 the following year. In 2025, as many as 4,725 people obtained clearance to travel to the country. The number of workers going to Russia more than tripled in just one year. As of 15 October this year, some 3,105 people had obtained clearance to travel to Russia.
Shariful Hasan, head of the BRAC Migration Programme, told Prothom Alo that agencies accused of human trafficking are sending the highest number of workers to Russia.
According to him, no one knows how many have found jobs there or where the others are. Families are not even receiving the bodies of deceased workers, let alone compensation. No one knows how many have died, either.
Shariful Hasan suggested setting up a hotline to compile a list of missing Bangladeshis.
An agency sends 27pc workers
A Prothom Alo investigation found that, over the past four years, clearances had been issued in the names of 93 recruiting agencies to send workers to Russia. Among the three agencies accused by the SRB, one named TS Overseas obtained clearance for 266 workers. The names of the other two could not be found in the BMET database.
Bonna Bijoy Overseas obtained the highest number of clearances for sending workers to Russia. The agency alone accounted for 27 per cent of the workers, or nearly 2,500 people. It has faced allegations of human trafficking under the pretext of sending workers to Algeria, and there is also a human trafficking case against it. It has also faced allegations over sending workers to Russia. Despite this, clearances continue to be issued in its name.
Prothom Alo tried to contact Barun Debnath, managing director of Bonna Bijoy Overseas, but he did not answer the phone. He also did not respond to a text message.
According to BMET data, the government recruitment agency, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), issued clearance for the second-highest number of workers, totalling 771.
A senior official at the agency told Prothom Alo that it had been sending workers to three Russian companies. However, several unfortunate incidents occurred. One worker fled with a vehicle, while another became involved in the war. Following these incidents, two of the companies stopped recruiting workers.
The official also said that workers are still being sent to the third company, with 14 more due to travel to Russia under an earlier demand letter. However, BOESL has not received any new demand letters for a year.
How trafficking network recruits workers
In November last year, the BRAC Migration Programme, a non-governmental development organisation, conducted a study on labour migration to Russia.
Based on testimonies from victims, statements from their families, documents and legal analysis, the study detailed a network involved in human trafficking and forced military recruitment under the guise of labour migration to Russia.
However, no one has an estimate of how many Bangladeshis have become involved in the Russia-Ukraine war, how many have been killed or how many remain trapped on the battlefield.
According to the BRAC report, young men are being taken to Russia with promises of well-paid jobs. Some are told they will work in factories, construction companies or the energy sector. But after arriving in Russia, some have their passports and mobile phones confiscated. They are then pressured and intimidated into signing documents to join the military before being sent to the Russia-Ukraine battlefield.
Some have returned home after being wounded, while others remain missing. Some families have received news of their relatives' deaths but have not been able to locate their bodies. At least 10 families approached BRAC with information about missing relatives. Some of them lost contact with their families after travelling to Russia in late 2024. Several other families received news of their relatives' deaths.
The deception began in Bangladesh itself. They had left the country with valid visas, employment contracts and all the necessary documents, only to be sent to the battlefield after arriving in Russia. According to CID sources, at least six cases have been filed over allegations of trafficking Bangladeshis to Russia.
Speaking about the issue, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury told Prothom Alo that the government was discouraging workers from travelling in this manner. No one was being given clearance without verification and attestation of confirmed job information.
Stating that many people are travelling through different countries and using various means to reach Russia, the minister said, "All Bangladeshi embassies had been alerted and instructed to maintain contact with expatriate communities and monitor the situation."
Finding the bodies of those reported dead by their families is a difficult task, he said, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was pursuing diplomatic efforts in this regard.