Bangladeshis forced into war in Russia

An independent UN commission of inquiry has found evidence that citizens of 29 countries, including Bangladesh, were recruited into the Russian armed forces through deception and coercion and sent to fight in Ukraine.

The commission stated that Russian authorities carried out this "human trafficking" in coordination with active recruiters and agents across various countries. The commission also obtained copies of business visas issued to Bangladeshi recruits, which cite invitations from a Russian civilian company.

These findings were detailed in a draft report published on the website of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on 26 October.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine prepared the report for presentation to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The report states that the commission reviewed information regarding the recruitment of citizens from 48 countries into the Russian forces and found evidence of deception or coercion involving nationals from 29 countries.

Alongside Bangladesh, the list includes India, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Botswana, Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Honduras, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

According to the report, Russian authorities collaborated with recruitment agents and agencies in various countries to draft these individuals into their armed forces.

All the victims are male, aged between 18 and 60. Most of them belong to financially vulnerable and marginalised groups and many had limited education.

Many of these individuals were sent to the battlefield, where some were killed, injured, captured, or went missing.

However, the report does not provide specific figures regarding the number of visas issued, the exact number of recruited Bangladeshis, their identities or their fates.

The report does highlight the case of a group of 30 individuals who were given a guarantee letter assuring them they would not be sent to the Russia-Ukraine battlefield.

By the time the report was compiled, 17 members of that group had been killed on the front lines, five were missing and one had returned injured. The report did not specify the nationalities of the workers in this group.

Earlier, on 21 October, Prothom Alo published a report titled, "Lured to Russia by promises of jobs, 54 Bangladeshis killed in war in 3 years." That report revealed that at least 54 Bangladeshis had died on the battlefield after going to Russia. It also highlighted allegations that individuals were lured with job offers only to be sent to the front lines.

Commenting on the investigation report, Erik Møse, Chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry, issued a statement on the OHCHR website. He noted that the commission’s investigations found that Russia had coordinated with agents operating around the world to traffic citizens of 29 countries into the Russian armed forces and send them to the front lines in Ukraine.

By exploiting the vulnerabilities of the trafficking victims and deceiving them with false promises of employment, they were fraudulently lured to Russia.

A WhatsApp message was sent to the Russian Embassy in Dhaka on Tuesday night seeking comment on the UN report (up until now, no response had been received. Their statement will be published separately, if obtained).

However, quoting a statement from the Russian mission to the UN, various international media outlets reported on Monday that Russia does not recognise the jurisdiction of this commission of inquiry. Moscow claims the report is based on fabricated information.

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury told Prothom Alo, "Extra precautions are being taken regarding sending workers to Russia. Instructions have been issued to scrutinise appointment letters much more rigorously now. Action has already been initiated against the recruiting agencies involved. The government has taken a strict stance on this matter."

According to the UN commission's report, men living abroad received job offers in Russia through social media advertisements or via recruitment agents and agencies. The commission noted that they were offered roles as security guards, drivers, mechanics, electricians, construction workers, welders, repairmen, transport workers and technicians.

Some offers included jobs in the IT, medical, sports, or agricultural sectors. In some cases, recruiters claimed the jobs were under the military but were strictly civilian in nature.

The report details the case of a professional athlete who was told that Russia was recruiting foreign players. He was promised that he could sign a contract upon arriving in Russia if he liked the job. However, upon arrival, he was handed over to the military.

The job offers promised high salaries, Russian citizenship, comfortable accommodation, pensions upon leaving the job and other perks. Some recruits were even shown photos or catalogues of their supposed housing.

According to the commission, the offers appeared credible due to the recruiters’ assurances, the candidates' prior overseas work experience, word-of-mouth recommendations from others who had supposedly secured the same jobs and documents showing the recruiting agencies were government-approved. In some cases, even acquaintances had recommended the jobs.

Once they accepted the job offers, many were pressured to travel to Russia within days. Agents arranged visas, flight tickets, accommodation and other travel logistics.

Some paid upfront, while others were told the costs would be deducted from their future salaries. Visa categories varied depending on the country and region. Some received business visas, others short-term tourist visas and some required no visa at all.

The UN commission’s report noted that testimonies and documents obtained by the commission identified Bahrain, Brazil, Ethiopia, France, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Spain, Turkey and the UAE as transit countries on the travel routes.

In some cases, agents traveled with the recruits or met them in transit countries. Some recruits were told to travel overland to a neighbouring country and fly from there to avoid detection at the airport.

The commission stated that the recruitment agents in various countries were local, regional or Russian nationals. They operated as travel or tourism-related agencies.

Some firms possessed local licenses, while others presented themselves as legitimate or government-approved entities. Visas issued by the Russian embassy were also frequently arranged through these agents.

Upon arriving at airports in Russia, many recruits found their freedom of movement restricted. They were held in temporary accommodations and later handed over to the Russian armed forces. Within hours or days of their arrival, they were coerced into signing one-year military service contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.

These contracts were written in Russian. Since most recruits did not understand the language, they could not comprehend the terms of the agreement. Without access to their phones, they were also unable to use translation tools.

The commission obtained copies of contracts signed by recruits from various countries. The documents were largely identical, bearing headings that explicitly stated recruitment for military service in the Russian armed forces. Documents from the Russian Ministry of Defense also confirmed that these individuals were serving in the military.

The report stated that recruits who refused to sign the contracts were subjected to pressure, threats or torture. One recruit reported that four people were shot dead in front of him and he was warned that he would be the next if he did not sign. He subsequently signed the contract.

The commission noted that in addition to recruiting from abroad, foreign nationals already residing in Russia were drafted into the armed forces through deception or coercion. Some were in police custody or temporary detention centers for foreign nationals, while others were serving prison sentences.

According to the report, several were told that signing the military contract would help them avoid criminal charges, lengthy sentences, solitary confinement or torture. Those who refused were threatened with torture or extended sentences.

One recruit stated that he was a cook and never wanted to be a soldier, yet he ultimately found himself deployed to the front lines.

According to the UN report, basic military training lasted anywhere from 20 minutes to a few days. In some cases, training went on for up to a month. After that, they were deployed to various battlefields in Ukraine.

They were forced to dig trenches, guard areas, deliver food and water and retrieve dead bodies. Their primary tasks involved launching assaults and advancing on the front lines. They also reported going days without food and water, suffering beatings, being held in detention and facing death threats.

The recruits were taken to open bank accounts but they and their families later raised complaints regarding their salaries. Many received no pay, while others received only a fraction of what was promised. In some cases, money was withdrawn from their accounts without permission, salaries were withheld or accounts were frozen.

Sometimes, recruitment agents or military personnel confiscated their bank cards. After being sent to the war zone, many recruits lost all contact with their families.

The report stated that the commission utilised 245 testimonies for its investigation into the recruitment process. These included accounts from recruits held by Ukrainian authorities or those who managed to return home, their family members, lawyers, local authorities, researchers and journalists.

The commission collected invitation letters, travel itineraries, flight tickets, visas, Russian entry documents, hotel bookings, military contracts and documents from the Russian Ministry of Defense. The commission sent 69 letters to various countries regarding this issue and received responses to six. The report noted that Russia did not respond to any of the commission's 41 written requests.

The commission concluded that Russian authorities committed human trafficking in collusion with recruitment agents, violating international human rights law.

Since the trafficked victims became members of the Russian armed forces upon signing military contracts, they cannot be classified as mercenaries. Therefore, if they surrender or are captured, they are entitled to prisoner-of-war protections until the conflict ends.

The commission of inquiry also issued several recommendations. It urged Russia to cease recruiting foreign nationals through deception or coercion, discharge the trafficked individuals currently in its forces, and provide them with assistance. The commission further recommended investigating and prosecuting those involved in the recruitment process.

Selim Reza, Coordinator of the Center for Migration Studies at North South University, told Prothom Alo, "While the Russian labour market may hold potential, the market demand was not assessed properly."

"Despite being aware that individuals were being forced into the war, the government continued issuing clearance certificates for travel to the country. Instead, proactive measures were needed to halt recruitment for the war," he added.

Selim Reza further said, "This must be prevented through diplomatic engagement with Russia. Emphasis must be placed on ensuring that not a single worker from the country is deceived or forced into the conflict. Compensation also must be secured for those affected and arrangements must be made to rescue those trapped in the war there."