A labour recruiter reportedly persuaded one Maksudur Rahman to leave the tropical warmth of his hometown in Bangladesh and travel thousands of miles to frigid Russia for a job as a janitor.
Within weeks, he found himself on the front lines of Russia's war in Ukraine.
An Associated Press investigation found that Bangladeshi workers were lured to Russia under the false promise of civilian work, only to be thrust into the chaos of combat in Ukraine. Many were allegedly threatened with violence, imprisonment or death.
AP spoke with three Bangladeshi men who escaped from the Russian military, including Maksudur Rahman, who said that after arriving in Moscow, he and a group of fellow Bangladeshi workers were told to sign Russian documents that turned out to be military contracts.
They were taken to an army camp for training in drone warfare techniques, medical evacuation procedures and basic combat skills using heavy weapons.
Maksudur protested, complaining that this was not the work he agreed to do.
A Russian commander offered a stark reply through a translation app: "Your agent sent you here. We bought you."
The three Bangladeshi men shared harrowing accounts of being coerced into front-line tasks against their will, including advancing ahead of Russian forces, transporting supplies, evacuating wounded soldiers and recovering the dead.
The families of three other Bangladeshi men who are missing said their loved ones shared similar accounts with relatives.
Neither the Russian Defence Ministry, the Russian Foreign Ministry nor the South Asian country’s government responded to a list of questions from AP.
Maksudur Rahman said the workers in his group were threatened with 10-year jail terms and beaten.
“They’d say, ‘Why don’t you work? Why are you crying?’ and kick us,” said Maksudur, who escaped and returned home after seven months.
The workers’ accounts were corroborated by documents, including travel papers, Russian military contracts, medical and police reports, and photos. The documents show the visas granted to Bangladeshi workers, their injuries sustained during battles and evidence of their participation in the war.
How many Bangladeshis were deceived into fighting is unclear.
The Bangladeshi men told AP they saw hundreds of Bangladeshis alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
Officials and activists say Russia has also targeted men from other African and South Asian countries, including India and Nepal.
