30 Bangladeshis Trafficked to Russia, 20 Killed at the Front, Bangladesh's Special Response Battalion Says

30 Bangladeshis who were trafficked to Russia on the promise of high-paying construction jobs, were handed over to the Russian military, and sent to the front after just 21 days of training, with 20 of them now dead, Bangladesh's Special Response Battalion (SRB), formerly known as RAB, said at a press conference in Dhaka on October 14, 2026, The Daily Star reported. SRB-10 Commander Additional DIG Md Asaduzzaman said two people had been arrested, including the alleged mastermind of the trafficking ring, Mizanur Rahman. The second arrestee was identified as Abu Taher Lentu.

According to the SRB, the 30 men flew to Russia on May 7 through three entities: Jabal-e-Noor, RS International, and TS Group. Each victim paid an average of around Tk 10 lakh (1 million taka, roughly $8,100 at the October 14 exchange rate of about 123 taka to the dollar) and was promised a well-paid job at a construction company. After arriving, they were denied the promised work and handed to the military instead. "Those taken from Bangladesh were not qualified for combat," Asaduzzaman said. "They had no physical preparation, military training or tactical skills for warfare." He said investigators believe the men were deployed as bait to draw out enemy positions, since drone strikes on them helped reveal where Ukrainian forces were.

Seventeen Dead on the First Day

Seventeen of the men reportedly died in drone strikes on the first day, and three more died afterward. Of the 10 survivors, two injured men have returned to Bangladesh, two others are being treated at a hospital in Moscow, and the remaining six are still on the battlefield, the SRB said. One of the returnees, identified as Rajon, fractured his waist or lower back and was paralysed from the waist down after a drone strike; Asaduzzaman said he dragged himself on his chest for nearly four kilometres to reach a camp.

Most of the victims came from impoverished families, and some took out large loans to pay for the trip, he said. Many families have been told of their relatives' deaths but have been unable to see the bodies or bring them home. The men were recruited from Gopalganj, Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Jamalpur, Pabna, Chapainawabganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, and Gazipur.

A Russian Man and a Kyrgyzstani Woman

Besides the Bangladeshi members of the ring, the SRB said a Russian man and a Kyrgyzstani woman were involved; the battalion is gathering information on both and is conducting operations to arrest another local member. Asaduzzaman said investigators have also gathered preliminary evidence that people from several other countries were recruited through similar methods to fight in the war. The two arrested men have been accused but not convicted.

Four Dead in July, 20 Now

The group appears to be the same one we reported on in August, when one of 30 Bangladeshi workers, Rajon Hossain, was sent home from Russia. Citing Bangladesh 24, that report named the same three agencies - RS International, Jabal-E-Noor, and TS Overseas Limited - whose licences, it said, authorities revoked on June 1, and said the workers were sent to Russia on April 24, not May 7 as the SRB now says. Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury told parliament on July 9 that four of the group had died; the SRB now puts the toll at around 20. The SRB did not give the surname of the returnee it calls Rajon.

A Safe Way Out

Bangladeshis and other foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. See our FAQ to find out more details.