Bangladesh police have arrested two men accused of involvement in a trafficking network that lured citizens of the country to Russia to fight in Ukraine.
The two suspects were identified as Mizanur Rahman and Abu Taher. According to Major General Mohammad Asaduzzaman, commander of the elite Rapid Action Battalion police force, the pair sent at least 30 Bangladeshi citizens to Russia with promises of high-paying jobs.
Once abroad, the victims had their passports and phones taken and were handed over to the Russian military, Asaduzzaman said.
According to the commander, a group of 17 victims in the trafficking scheme arrived in Russia in early May and were killed on their first day of deployment after receiving only minimal training. In total, 20 Bangladeshis have been confirmed dead.
"Bangladeshis were used as bait to identify enemy positions," Asaduzzaman said. "Russian forces decided their next move after the Bangladeshis became victims of drone strikes."
Besides the 20 killed, two others are being treated at a hospital in Moscow, while six remain on the battlefield, police said, citing a surviving victim who was wounded and managed to find a way home.
The victims all came from poor families and paid about $8,000 for the fake "jobs" that took them to Russia, according to Bangladeshi media.
Both Russia and Ukraine have recruited thousands of foreign citizens into their militaries since Russia launched its full-scale military campaign in Ukraine.
An estimated 28,000 foreigners from 136 countries are believed to be fighting in Russia's military, and officials believe Moscow has deployed about 14,000 North Korean soldiers to counter Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region in 2024.
Ukraine, meanwhile, says 16,000 foreign citizens from more than 70 countries — nearly 40 percent of them from Latin America — are currently serving in its military.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia is recruiting people from 47 countries through deception for an "extremely brutal" campaign, and called on nations not to let Moscow "drag" them into the war.
Amnesty International has also accused Russia of using "deceptive, coercive and exploitative" tactics to recruit foreigners to fight on the Ukrainian front.
Russia has previously rejected allegations that it coerces foreigners into joining its military.
Amnesty International said it could not investigate foreigners in Ukraine's military because it was denied access to prisoners held in Russia, which designates the human rights group a "foreign agent."
