From the depths of a dark bunker on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war, a 34-year-old man from Jamalpur, Arman Ali, sent a desperate video message pleading for his life and the chance to die in his homeland as a Muslim, rather than “like a jackal or a dog.”
The footage captured the stark terror in his eyes and a fierce longing for survival in his voice. The country he had migrated to in search of a better life had instead become a slaughterhouse, as he was sold to the Russian army under the false lure of a legitimate job.
His younger brother, Md Salman Hossain, told TIMES of Bangladesh that Arman was a gentle, quiet person who was always against war and had absolutely no military training.
Arman, the eldest son of Rafiqul Islam from the Godashimla area of Jamalpur Sadar Upazila, was no stranger to overseas work, having previously spent a few years in Iraq alongside his elder brother.
Seeking a better future, he paid Tk8 lakh to a Dhaka-based agency, Jabal-e-Noor International, which promised him construction and drone factory jobs in Russia using official BMET clearance papers.
He flew out on 7 May, but the dream shattered within days.
Traffickers confiscated his passport and sold him to the Russian military.
His brother, Salman, said Arman’s last call was on 26 May, detailing forced combat drills.
A recent frontline video shows Arman alongside 30 other Bangladeshis.
He revealed they were stripped of phones and pushed to the trenches as human bait after just three days of training.
Amidst landmines and drones, 12 of his 16-person camp died; the survivors were wounded. When they refused to fight further, they were starved and tortured in bunkers. Before the video ends, Arman weeps for his five-month-old daughter, Arshi, lamenting that they only wanted to earn enough for basic survival.
The broker trap: From chocolate factory to battlefield
By speaking to victims who managed to escape Russia, we uncovered the step-by-step fraudulent strategy employed by this trafficking ring.
A key operative named ‘Sultan’ was repeatedly identified as the individual responsible for selling these men to the Russian military upon arrival.
Victims explained they were initially lured with promises of monthly salaries between Tk2 and Tk2.5 lakh for jobs in cleaning, laundry, electrical work, or at a chocolate factory. Upfront, brokers demanded Tk3 to Tk5 lakh to cover visa processing and flights.
Then, the second stage of the scam began.
Instead of flying directly to Russia, many victims were routed through Saudi Arabia on Umrah visas. They were held in captivity there while traffickers extorted an additional Tk2 to Tk3 lakh from their families back home under the guise of unexpected expenses. Only then were they forwarded to Russia.
“They confiscated our passports the moment we landed,” an anonymous victim from Mymensingh told TIMES. “We were forced to sign a contract written entirely in Russian. During weapons drills, they claimed it was just part of the job. It was only then that we realised we were trapped by the military.”
‘We bought you’
Refusing to fight triggers inhuman torture. Victims are locked in dark rooms, enduring physical abuse, handcuffs, and beatings with shovels alongside threats of execution.
One survivor recalled a Russian commander bluntly telling a recruit, “Your agent sent you here; we bought you.”
Beyond combat, they are forced to transport weaponry and recover bodies.
A joint report by human rights organisations ‘Fortify Rights’ and Truth Hounds revealed that at least 104 Bangladeshis have been forcibly recruited.
Based on Ukrainian data, they confirmed 34 fatalities, though researchers believe the actual death toll is much higher.
The international community has responded. On 5 May, the UK government sanctioned a Dhaka-based agency, ‘Dream Home Travels and Tours Limited’, under the Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025, for exploiting vulnerable migrants to support Moscow’s war effort.
The agency allegedly trafficked around 20 Bangladeshis, promising chocolate factory or cleaning jobs paying Tk2 to Tk2.5 lakh monthly.
Complaints have also emerged against an unlicensed firm, Friendship and Cooperative Recruitment, which specifically targets young men aged 23 to 35 over 5 feet 7 inches tall.
What admin, law enforcement agencies do?
The situation for Arman’s family is now deplorable. His mother weeps day and night, while his father, Rafiqul Islam, has pleaded for immediate government and diplomatic intervention.
Ikramun Nahar, acting assistant director of the Jamalpur District Employment and Manpower Office, said, “The family is being counselled, and support will be provided through the ministry and embassy.”
Badrul Alam Mollah, an officer with the CID’s Human Trafficking Investigation Division, told TIMES that despite media coverage, no families have filed formal complaints.
“It is not enough to simply speak out on Facebook Live. Legal action is difficult without a formal complaint. However, we are verifying the information, and if necessary, the police will file a case,” he explained.
The CID previously arrested the ring’s alleged mastermind, Muhammad Alamgir Hossain, near Chittagong Airport on 15 June last year.
Their investigation confirmed the pattern of trafficking individuals to Russia via Saudi Arabian Umrah visas and verified the frontline torture.
However, citing diplomatic constraints, Mollah added: “There is insufficient information for effective action at our embassy in Russia. In cases of fatalities, proof of the body or a certificate is required, which we do not have.”
Shariful Islam Hasan, associate director of BRAC’s migration programme, stressed that increased surveillance is vital to stop visa channel misuse.
He called for closer coordination between BMET, BOESEL, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to curb labour migration fraud, adding that strict measures must halt social media recruitment scams that trap vulnerable workers.
