June 8, 2026

Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Visits Moscow While Bangladeshis Are Being Trafficked Into Russia's War

Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman departed Dhaka for Moscow on June 7, 2026 for a three-day official visit. On day two, he is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss bilateral cooperation and "areas of mutual interest."

In March 2026, Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds published a joint report - "I Was Tricked Into the War" - documenting how Bangladeshi men are being trafficked into the Russian Armed Forces through fraudulent job offers, deception, and coercion. The report is based on 24 interviews with survivors, relatives of the dead, anti-trafficking service providers, and Bangladeshi police. Its conclusion: the documented practices may constitute human trafficking under international law - law that Russia, as a signatory to the Palermo Protocol, is formally obligated to uphold.

What Russia is actually doing to Bangladeshi citizens

Brokers recruit men from low-income communities with false promises of civilian work. Recruits travel through Dubai to Moscow. At the airport, additional cash is extracted in bathroom stalls to avoid cameras. They are then handed contracts written in Russian - a language they cannot read - and told to sign. Shortly after, they are told what they have actually agreed to.

Survivor Maksudur Rahman, 31, described the moment: "We were transported at night to another location and eventually told through a translator that we had been 'bought' to fight in the war. We were told the Russian government had paid a large sum for each of us and that we had no choice. We were taken to the frontline and forced into combat roles without proper training. Several Bangladeshis who were with me were killed in the fighting."

Another survivor, Arman Mondol, put it simply: "I was tricked into the war by the brokers. What happened to me is unjust, and I hope it does not happen to others again."

The pattern across cases is consistent: passports confiscated, Russian-language contracts signed without comprehension, frontline deployment with little or no training, beatings by commanders, denial of pay, threats against those who tried to leave. Families in Bangladesh paid recruitment fees of thousands of dollars - and later received news that their son or husband was dead.

The cover photograph of the Fortify Rights report shows the parents of a 22-year-old from Brahmanbaria District holding a photograph of their son. He was killed on the frontline.

What the report recommends

Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds call on the Government of Bangladesh to dismantle trafficking syndicates, hold perpetrators accountable, support survivors and their families - and publicly condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

If you or your relative are being coerced into military service in Russia - do not hesitate and act before it's too late. Ukraine offers a safe way out.

Sources: Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds joint report - "I Was Tricked Into the War", Daily Sun