"I Was Tricked into the War" - New Report Exposes Russia's Human Trafficking Networks for Army Recruitment

Human rights organizations Truth Hounds and Fortify Rights have published a joint report exposing schemes used to recruit Bangladeshi citizens into the russian armed forces. The investigation confirms that ussia is exploiting international human trafficking networks to fill its ranks with "expendable material" from South Asian countries.

Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War, participated in the presentation of the findings.

"Due to significant losses, russia is intensifying efforts to recruit foreigners. We have personal data on 27,401 foreign citizens from 135 countries who signed contracts with the Russian armed forces since 2022. While only 34 such contracts were concluded in 2022, their number grew to 13,997 in 2025. We also know that Russia's ministry of defense plans to bring another 18,500 foreigners to the war in 2026. Various schemes are used for this, predominantly based on bribery, deception, or coercion," Usov noted.

Key findings from the report:

• Deception and coercion: The majority of those recruited by russia are men from low-income families who were promised legal work in Europe or at civilian facilities in russia (such as factories or cleaning companies).
• Trap contracts": Upon arrival to Russia, foreigners were forced to sign documents in Russian, which they don't understand. It later turned out these were military contracts.
• Human trafficking: Survivors report that intermediaries literally "sold" them to the army. One foreigner said a translator told him directly: "You were bought for the war."
• Lack of training: People were thrown to the front lines with virtually no training. Those who tried to refuse or flee were beaten, threatened with violence, and had their passports confiscated.

According to data as of February 2026, at least 104 people were recruited from Bangladesh alone, of whom 34 have already been officially confirmed dead. Similar schemes are actively operating in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India. 

We warn all non-Russian citizens that traveling to Russia - for work, study, business, or tourism - carries a real risk of forced military recruitment. Thousands of foreign nationals have been deceived, coerced, or pressured into signing contracts with the Russian armed forces. Many had their documents confiscated upon arrival and were given no choice but to fight. Hundreds have been killed. 

Sources: Fortify Rights, "I Want to Live" Telegram Channel