Bangladesh arrests two for luring locals to fight for Russia in Ukraine

Police in Bangladesh have arrested two individuals they say are linked to a trafficking network that deceptively recruited locals to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

Key points

• Ukraine notes 16, 000 foreign nationals from more than 70 countries – including almost 40 percent from Latin America – are at present serving in its army.
• The victims were from poor backgrounds and had paid around $8, 000 for the fake jobs that brought them to Russia, Bangladeshi media documented.
• Both Russia and Ukraine have recruited thousands of foreign nationals into their armies since Russia introduced its invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago.
• This person arrived in Russia in early May, were killed on the first day of deployment after being given minimal training, Asaduzzaman remarked.
• Amnesty International has additionally accused Russia of using "deceptive, coercive and exploitative practices" to recruit foreigners to fight on the Ukrainian front.

For context, the suspects, identified as Mizanur Rahman and Abu Taher, trafficked at least 30 individuals to Russia with false promises of high-paying jobs, Mohammad Asaduzzaman, commander of the elite police force Special Response Battalion, stated on Wednesday.

Once abroad, the victims' passports and phones were taken, and they were handed over to the Russian military, he remarked.

Seventeen of the trafficking victims. This person arrived in Russia in early May, were killed on the first day of deployment after being given minimal training, Asaduzzaman remarked. A total of 20 Bangladeshis have been confirmed dead.

"Bangladeshis were used as bait to locate enemy positions, " he remarked. "Russian forces determined their next course of action after the Bangladeshis fell victim to drone attacks."

Along with the 20 Bangladeshis killed, two more are being treated in a Moscow hospital while six others are still on the battlefield, police cited a survivor who was injured and managed to return home as saying.

Meanwhile, the victims were from poor backgrounds and had paid around $8, 000 for the fake jobs that brought them to Russia, Bangladeshi media documented.

In practice, an estimated 28, 000 foreigners from 136 countries are remarked to be fighting in the Russian army, and office-holders believe Moscow deployed some 14, 000 North Korean troops to battle Ukraine's 2024 incursion into the Kursk region.

Meanwhile, Ukraine notes 16, 000 foreign nationals from more than 70 countries – including almost 40 percent from Latin America – are at present serving in its army.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that Russia deceptively recruits residents from 47 countries for an "absolutely brutal" campaign and pressed countries not to let Moscow "drag" them into the war.

Russia has previously dismissed accusations of coercing foreigners into joining its army.

Amnesty notes it cannot conduct inquiries concerning foreigners in Ukraine's army as it has no access to prisoners of war held in Russia. It designates the rights group as a "foreign agent".

In short, bangladesh arrests two for luring locals to fight for Russia in Ukraine is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.