BANGLADESHI workers were allegedly lured to Russia with promises of civilian employment before being forced to fight in the war in Ukraine, an investigation by the Associated Press has found.

Interviews with three men who escaped Russia and the families of three others who are missing revealed a pattern of deception by labour recruiters, who offered lucrative jobs such as cooks, cleaners and launderers in Russian army garrisons.

Instead, the men said they were coerced into signing military contracts written in Russian, a language they did not understand.

The men — Maksudur Rahman, Mohan Miajee and Jehangir Alam — said they believed the paperwork was a formality before starting civilian work.

Shortly after arriving, they were taken to army camps, given basic military training, including drone tactics and later deployed to front-line positions.

They described being forced to transport supplies, evacuate wounded soldiers and collect dead bodies. Some said they were used as human shields.

Mr Rahman said Bangladeshi men were routinely sent ahead of Russian soldiers. “They would send us in front and stay at the back themselves,” he said.

The men reported threats, beatings and torture when they refused orders or made mistakes.

Mr Miajee said he was beaten with shovels and held in a basement cell.

“If they told us to go to the right and we went to the left, they would beat us severely,” he said.

Families of missing men said their relatives had taken out loans or sold property to pay recruitment fees, believing they would quickly earn the money back.

Documents, including visas, dog tags and military contracts, were seen by AP.

The number of Bangladeshis fighting in Russia is unclear, and neither the Russian Defence Ministry nor the South Asian country’s government responded to a list of questions from AP.

Authorities in Bangladesh are investigating trafficking networks allegedly involving local intermediaries linked to Russia.

A Bangladeshi man with Russian citizenship has been charged.

The investigation was prompted after a Bangladeshi man returned home in January 2025, claiming he had been tricked into military service.

Meanwhile, in the war, a heavy Russian drone bombardment of Ukraine’s southern city of Odessa killed at least two people and wounded 23, including two children and a pregnant woman, according to Ukrainian officials.