Bangladeshi citizens were lured to Russia with the false promise of civilian work, but then ended up on the battlefield in Ukraine, according to an AP investigation.
The men were promised jobs as cleaners, technicians or drone operators, but after arriving in Russia they were forced to sign military contracts and undergo weapons training.
Maksudur Rahman, who was forced to fight after being promised civilian work in Russia, says that in 2024 he saw an ad in a recruitment agency for a job as a cleaner in a military camp in Russia, and the salary for the position was was $1,000 to $1,500 a month and the possibility of permanent residency.
He arrived in Moscow with three other compatriots, where they were given documents to sign, which were in Russian, and the men thought they were their employment contracts, and signed them.
They then went to a military facility far from Moscow, where they were given weapons and underwent three days of training. The group went to a barracks near the Russian-Ukrainian border and continued their training, then found themselves on the front lines.
According to Rahman, the men in his group were threatened with 10 years in prison and beaten.
The workers' accounts were corroborated by documents, including travel documents, Russian military contracts, medical and police reports, and photographs. The documents show visas issued to Bangladeshi workers, their injuries sustained in combat, and evidence of their participation in the war.
It is unclear how many Bangladeshis were lured to Russia. According to an AP investigation, about 40 Bangladeshis may have lost their lives in the war.
According to investigator Mostafizur Rahman, some volunteered to go to the front lines because the money was good.
Officials and activists say Russia has also lured men from other African and South Asian countries, including India and Nepal.