Bangladesh arrests two for luring locals to fight for Russia in Ukraine
Twenty Bangladeshi citizens have been killed after being used by Russia as 'bait' to locate enemy positions, police say.
Key points
- Bangladesh police arrested Mizanur Rahman and Abu Taher over a trafficking network that recruited locals to fight for Russia.
- At least 30 people were trafficked with false job promises; 20 Bangladeshis have been confirmed dead.
- Seventeen victims sent to Russia in early May were killed on their first day of deployment.
Police in Bangladesh have arrested two people accused of belonging to a trafficking network that deceptively recruited local people to fight for Russia in Ukraine. The suspects were identified as Mizanur Rahman and Abu Taher.
Mohammad Asaduzzaman, commander of the elite Special Response Battalion, said on Wednesday that the pair trafficked at least 30 people to Russia using false promises of high-paying jobs. Once the victims were abroad, their passports and phones were taken and they were handed to the Russian military, he said.
Deaths on the battlefield
Asaduzzaman said 17 of the trafficking victims arrived in Russia in early May and were killed on the first day of deployment after receiving minimal training. In total, 20 Bangladeshis have been confirmed dead.
He said Bangladeshis were used as bait to locate enemy positions, adding that Russian forces decided their next move after the Bangladeshis fell victim to drone attacks. Two more are being treated in a Moscow hospital and six others remain on the battlefield, police said, citing a survivor who was injured and managed to return home.
Bangladeshis were used as bait to locate enemy positions
— Mohammad Asaduzzaman
Recruitment from poor backgrounds
The victims came from poor backgrounds and paid around $8,000 for the fake jobs that took them to Russia, Bangladeshi media reported.
Both Russia and Ukraine have recruited thousands of foreign nationals since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago. An estimated 28,000 foreigners from 136 countries are said to be fighting in the Russian army, while Ukraine says 16,000 foreign nationals from more than 70 countries are serving in its army.
