DHAKA: Young Bangladeshi men desperate for work allege they have been tricked into fighting for Russia against Ukraine, with the reported death of a 22-year-old sparking a surge of worried calls.

Bangladesh’s embassy in Moscow has said around a dozen families have contacted them seeking to bring back their sons they allege were duped into joining the Russian army.

“We had no idea we’d end up on the battlefield,” said Mohammad Akram Hossain, who claimed he and his brother-in-law had registered with a recruiting agency and were originally promised jobs in Cyprus, before being offered work in Russia.

“The recruiting agency said that only work visas for Russia were available, and we agreed to go,” the 26-year-old said, now back home in Bangladesh.

“But we never imagined we would be abandoned like that.”

Unemployment is high in Bangladesh and the economy was hit hard by protests last year that toppled the government.

Worried relatives have been messaging Bangladeshi diplomats in Moscow after one family said their son Mohammed Yasin Sheikh, 22, was killed on March 27 while serving in the Russian army.

Abul Hashem, Sheikh’s uncle, said the family was called by his friend during Eid holidays. “Yasin’s friend, who is also fighting for the Russian side, called us on Eid and informed us that Yasin had been killed,” Hashem said.

“Later, we received a call from a Russian commander.”

Work with a Chinese firm

Yasin Sheikh’s family say they gave him money to travel when he left Bangladesh in September, after a broker promised him work with a Chinese company in Russia as an electrician. But, they said, he ended up joining the Russian army in December.

“We spent a lot to send him, and now we are waiting for his dead body,” Hashem said.

“We’ve requested the Bangladesh government to take steps so that his mother can bid him farewell.”

Farhad Hossain, Bangladesh’s charge d’affaires in Moscow, said the embassy was aware of the reported casualty.

“We learned about Yasin Sheikh a few days ago, and have engaged with our Russian counterparts on the issue,” he said, adding that the embassy could not confirm his death, or any other Bangladeshi casualties, and was awaiting a response from Moscow.

But Hossain did confirm that other Bangladeshis had contacted the embassy.

“We’ve been receiving requests from parents seeking information about their sons, and so far we’ve responded to around a dozen requests,” he said.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine will say how many foreigners are serving in their militaries or how many they are holding as prisoners of war.

Recruits from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka have already been reported to have fought for Russia against Ukraine, lured by promises of work.

Farhad Hossain, the Bangladeshi diplomat, said Russian authorities have said those fighting on the side of Moscow had signed contracts, were on the payroll and were governed by the rules of war.

He could not confirm how many Bangladeshis were thought to have joined Russia’s army, although one Bangladeshi newspaper cited security sources suggesting there were more than 100.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2025