The Risk of Human Trafficking and CoercedRecruitment of Bangladeshi Men into Russia’s War in Ukraine
This joint report by Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds reveals how Bangladeshi men were recruited through coercion and deception into the Russian Armed Forces. Through fraudulent job offers, misinformation, and scams, brokers target men from low-income countries with limited migration pathways into joining the Russian army. Many were routed through third countries, given Russian-language contracts they could not read, and transferred into military training facilities shortly after arrival in Russia. These men were then forced to provide the manpower needed to sustain Russia’s advances into Ukrainian territory.