Deceived into fighting for Russia, Bangladeshi families now battle debt

Pabitra Chandra was born into an impoverished family in Gopalpur, Tangail. He worked as a carpenter and earned very little. Hoping for a better future, he sold some of his wife’s gold jewellery and borrowed money from a microfinance organisation and local moneylenders before travelling to Russia.

Although he had been promised a job, he and 29 other Bangladeshi nationals were forcibly sent to the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. His family learned from surviving companions that Pabitra had died in the fighting. Now, alongside their grief, the family faces relentless demands from creditors to repay the money they borrowed.

Pabitra Chandra’s family is not alone. The families of the 30 young Bangladeshi men who were deceived into travelling to Russia for work are facing similar hardships.

Reports indicate that 20 of the 30, including Pabitra, have died. Two others were injured and are receiving treatment at hospitals in Russia, while two have managed to return to Bangladesh. The remaining six are still being forced to fight on the battlefield.

At a press conference on 14 October, the Special Response Battalion (SRB) said that the 30 Bangladeshis had travelled to Russia on 7 May through three organisations named Jabal-e-Noor, RS International and TS Group. Each man was charged an average of Tk 1 million on the promise of employment at construction companies.

After they arrived in Russia, however, their passports and mobile phones were confiscated, and they were handed over to the Russian military instead of being given the promised jobs.

Following 21 days of military training, they were deployed to the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. Seventeen of the 30 were killed in drone strikes on the very first day. Three more died at different times afterwards.

Pabitra Chandra, 30, has two daughters aged six and eight. After hearing reports of his death, his wife developed psychological problems. Sometimes she laughs, sometimes she cries.

Pabitra had travelled to Russia with Tk 130,000 raised by selling his wife’s jewellery and another Tk 950,000 borrowed from a microfinance organisation and local moneylenders.

Pabitra’s brother-in-law, Tapan Chandra Sutradhar, told Prothom Alo that the family had been in contact with him for the first few days after he arrived in Russia. At the time, Pabitra said that he and several others were staying at a hotel and would be given jobs once their paperwork was completed.

After contact was lost for some time, he called his family on 29 May and said, “They are forcing us to go to war. The risk of dying there is 95 per cent.”

Pabitra subsequently contacted the Bangladesh embassy and requested assistance in arranging the return of himself and the others to Bangladesh. He also apologised to his family for his mistakes.

The family later learned of his death from his companions. However, neither the embassy nor any government source has officially confirmed the news to them.

Tapan Chandra said, “The family has reached such a desperate situation that when they sit down to eat, creditors come and stand behind them demanding money. They are now considering selling the remaining three decimals of land, but even that will not be enough to repay the loans. Still, the family’s last hope is that Pabitra might be alive.”

Robin Mir used to drive an auto-rickshaw in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj. He, too, travelled to Russia in search of work after selling land and livestock in his village and taking out loans. Three other men from Narayanganj went with him. His family learned of his death through them.

Robin’s nephew, Rahat Chowdhury, told Prothom Alo that his uncle was given good food and taken sightseeing for the first three or four days after arriving in Russia. Then the family heard nothing from him for five or six days.

On 15 May, Robin informed them that they were being taken to work. Contact was subsequently lost again. On 17 May, the family saw him in a video from a military camp.

On 29 May, Robin called his family in tears and said, “They promised us jobs, but took us through a dense forest and sold us off.”

That was the last time Rahat spoke to his uncle.

Rahat said his uncle’s wife and two children were now living in desperate circumstances. The daughter is nine years old and the son is five. Creditors call repeatedly and subject the family to verbal abuse. Sometimes, the family has enough food for one meal but nothing for the next.

In addition to Pabitra and Robin, Prothom Alo spoke to family members of seven of the 30 Bangladeshis who travelled to Russia. Almost all the families are from low-income backgrounds.

According to information provided by the families, the other 18 men reported killed on the battlefield are Sohel, Md Mehedi Hasan, Md Al Mamun, Md Abdullah Al Mamun, Md Nazmul Alam, Md Wasim Akram, Md Arif Hossain, Md Sayeed Molla, Tarikul Islam Mintu, Sabbir Hossain, Mofiz, Md Arman Ali, Md Nazrul Islam, Md Aminul Islam, Kazi Rezaul Karim, Main Uddin, Ripon Hossain and Arif Hossain Patwary.

Of the 30 Bangladeshis who were deceived, Rajon Hossain and Adnan Hossain have managed to return to Bangladesh. Palash Sheikh and Ali Hasan Sohel were injured and are receiving treatment at hospitals in Russia.

Roni Sheikh of Gopalganj, Al Amin Islam of Lalmonirhat, Sourav Molla of Gopalganj, Kamal Hossain of Madaripur, Abu Hanif of Kishoreganj and Helal Sheikh of Madaripur are still being forced to fight on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. Some of them remain in contact with their families.

Taslim Sardar, the husband of Sourav Molla’s younger sister, regularly communicates with Sourav through the messaging app Imo.

Taslim told Prothom Alo that Sourav was currently stationed three to four kilometres behind the frontline. He was being made to dig earth for bunkers, and something could happen to him at any time. He had tried to escape twice but had failed.

Taslim recently joined the families of the victims in holding a human chain protest in Dhaka.

He said Kamal was working alongside Sourav, digging earth for bunkers. Roni Sheikh and Al Amin were walking from their camp to the frontline to deliver food, water and weapons. Hanif and Helal had no fixed duties. They were assigned various tasks, including digging bunker trenches and delivering food.