20 Bangladeshis killed in Russia-Ukraine war: SRB

A human trafficking ring allegedly lured 30 Bangladeshis to Russia with promises of jobs at construction companies before handing them over to the Russian military, according to the Special Response Battalion (SRB).

After just 21 days of military training, the men were sent to the Russia-Ukraine war front, where they were allegedly used as “bait” to identify enemy positions.

At least 20 Bangladeshis have been killed in drone strikes, according to preliminary findings by the SRB.
The information was disclosed by Mohammad Asaduzzaman, additional deputy inspector general and commander of SRB-10 Battalion, at a press conference in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, on Wednesday.

Two alleged members of the trafficking ring have been arrested. They are Mizanur Rahman, 55, founder of Jabale Noor International, and Abu Taher, also known as Lentu.

According to the SRB, the 30 Bangladeshis were sent to Russia on May 7 this year through three organisations: Jabale Noor, RS International and TS Group. Each person was allegedly charged an average of around Tk 1 million after being promised employment at construction companies.

However, instead of being placed in the jobs they had been promised, the men were allegedly handed over to the Russian military after arriving in Russia. They were subsequently sent to the battlefield following just 21 days of training.

Asaduzzaman said the men recruited from Bangladesh lacked the physical fitness, training and tactical preparation required for combat. The SRB suspects there was another purpose behind sending them to the battlefield after such a short period of training.

Citing preliminary findings, he said the Bangladeshis were allegedly sent ahead of other troops to locate enemy positions. Investigators suspect that when drones targeted them, the resulting strikes could help reveal the enemy’s location and estimate its distance.

The SRB said the Bangladeshis had been deployed across three sections of the battlefield: the front, middle and rear. Seventeen were reportedly killed in drone strikes on the first day, followed by three more deaths later. The agency has so far obtained preliminary confirmation of the deaths of 20 of the 30 men.

Regarding the survivors, the SRB said two injured men had returned to Bangladesh. One of them, Rajon, reportedly said a drone strike broke his waist or lower back and left the lower half of his body paralysed.

Despite his injuries, he crawled on his chest for nearly four kilometres to reach a camp.

Of the remaining eight men, two are receiving treatment at a hospital in Moscow, while the other six are still believed to be on the battlefield, according to the SRB.

Asaduzzaman said preliminary investigations had identified possible involvement in the trafficking operation by a Russian national named Igor and a Kyrgyz woman named Julia, alongside the Bangladeshi network.

Investigators are gathering information about them and conducting operations, he said. Authorities are also trying to arrest another alleged member of the ring, Mostafizur.

The SRB official said preliminary inquiries suggested that nationals of several countries had been recruited for the war in Russia using a similar method. Those sent from Bangladesh reportedly came from Gopalganj, Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Jamalpur, Pabna, Chapainawabganj, Faridpur, Rajbari and Gazipur.

Most of the victims came from low-income families, Asaduzzaman said. Some had borrowed money to travel abroad in search of employment. Their families have since received news of their deaths, but in many cases they have been unable to see their relatives’ bodies or arrange for their repatriation.

The commander of SRB-10 urged people to verify the legitimacy of overseas recruitment agencies before making payments or travelling abroad in pursuit of promised jobs.