Bangladeshi nationals are among those recruited into the Russian armed forces through deception or coercion, according to a report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine submitted to the UN General Assembly at its 81st session.
The Commission found compelling evidence that Russian authorities, working in coordination with recruitment agents and agencies operating across different countries, trafficked nationals from 29 countries to recruit them into the Russian armed forces.
Bangladesh is explicitly named among the countries affected.
The Commission investigated the recruitment of nationals from 48 countries and identified evidence of deceptive or coercive recruitment involving nationals from 29.
The victims were men aged between 18 and 60, most of whom came from economically vulnerable and marginalised communities with limited educational opportunities.
The report specifically mentions Bangladeshi recruits in connection with business visas issued for travel to Russia. The Commission received copies of visas indicating that the recruits had been invited by a civilian company in the Russian Federation.
According to the report, men from different countries were attracted by apparently genuine and lucrative offers of civilian employment in Russia. Recruitment agents presented themselves as legitimate or government-endorsed businesses and arranged visas, travel documents and transportation for groups of recruits.
However, after arriving in Russia, many were forced to sign contracts written in Russian with the Russian Ministry of Defence. Their phones and passports were often confiscated, and they discovered that they would be serving in the Russian armed forces rather than undertaking the civilian jobs they had been promised.
The Commission identified a high degree of coordination between recruitment agents operating in different countries and Russian authorities.
The recruited men were subsequently deployed to front-line positions in Ukraine and assigned dangerous tasks. Many were killed, injured, captured or went missing, the report said.
Their families have faced prolonged uncertainty and psychological distress while trying to locate missing relatives or establish the circumstances of their deaths.
Based on the evidence collected, the Commission concluded that Russian authorities had committed trafficking in persons and other human rights violations in connection with the recruitment of foreign nationals.
Bangladesh's inclusion among the 29 countries raises concerns about the vulnerability of its jobseekers to fraudulent overseas employment offers and the potential exploitation of migration channels for military recruitment.
The report's reference to business visas issued to Bangladeshi recruits highlights the importance of investigating the recruitment intermediaries involved and examining how civilian employment arrangements were used to facilitate their travel to Russia.
The findings also underline the need for Bangladesh to strengthen safeguards against fraudulent overseas recruitment, investigate suspected trafficking networks, trace missing nationals and support families affected by the recruitment and disappearance of their relatives.
The report does not specify how many Bangladeshi nationals were recruited, killed, injured or reported missing. Nor does it establish that every foreign national serving in the Russian armed forces was trafficked.