Russian Recruitment and Forced Labor in Ukraine

The Russian military deceived workers from Bangladesh and India into fighting on the front lines in Ukraine, according to accounts from those who escaped and families of missing men. The workers were lured with promises of non-combat jobs, but were rather coerced into military service and forced to participate in dangerous frontline tasks.

The associated Press spoke with three Bangladeshi men who managed to flee the Russian army. Maksudar Rahmán described arriving in Moscow and being asked to sign documents he later learned were military contracts. He and others received training in anti-drone techniques, medical evacuation, and the use of heavy weapons at a military camp.

Rahmán protested, stating the work wasn’t what he’d agreed to. According to Rahmán,a Russian commander told him through a translator: “Your agent sent you here. We bought you.”

All three men testified they were forced to advance ahead of Russian forces, transport supplies, evacuate the wounded, and recover the dead. Families of three other missing Bangladeshi men reported similar stories from their loved ones.

Rahmán said those who refused to work were threatened with ten years in prison and subjected to beatings. “They shouted that why are we not working and just moaning, then they started kicking us,” he recalled.He escaped after seven months and returned home.

The accounts are supported by travel documents, russian military contracts, medical and police reports, photographs, and evidence of injuries sustained in combat. It’s unclear how many Bangladeshis were fraudulently recruited, but witnesses estimate hundreds were serving with Russian forces in Ukraine.

officials and activists say Russia has targeted men from other countries in Asia and Africa, including india and Nepal, with similar deceptive recruitment tactics.

The recruitment often preys on economic desperation.In the Lakshmipur district of southeastern Bangladesh, almost every family has a member working abroad to support them. Men routinely take long-term overseas jobs, returning home briefly to start families they may not see for years.

Rahmán had returned to Lakshmipur from Malaysia in 2024 after his employment contract ended.He responded to an advertisement from a recruitment agency offering a cleaning job at a Russian military camp, with a promised salary of $1,000 to $1,500 per month and the possibility of permanent residency. He took out a loan to pay the agency’s fees.