Bangladesh arrests two for luring locals to fight for Russia in Ukraine

Twenty Bangladeshi victims have been killed after being used by Russia as ‘bait’ to locate enemy positions, police say.Police in Bangladesh have arrested two people they say are linked to a trafficking network that deceptively recruited locals to fight for Russia in Ukraine.The suspects, identified as Mizanur Rahman and Abu Taher, trafficked at least 30 people to Russia with false promises of high-paying jobs, Mohammad Asaduzzaman, commander of the elite police force Special Response Battalion, said on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump’s diesel deal opens a new rift with Europe over Ukrainelist 2 of 3Trump says Putin and Zelenskyy both want to end Russia’s war on Ukrainelist 3 of 3Russia arrests Japanese reporter for alleged espionageend of listOnce abroad, the victims’ passports and phones were taken, and they were handed over to the Russian military, he said.Seventeen of the trafficking victims, who arrived in Russia in early May, were killed on the first day of deployment after being given minimal training, Asaduzzaman said. A total of 20 Bangladeshis have been confirmed dead.“Bangladeshis were used as bait to locate enemy positions,” he said. “Russian forces determined their next course of action after the Bangladeshis fell victim to drone attacks.”In addition to the 20 Bangladeshis killed, two more are being treated in a Moscow hospital while six others are still on the battlefield, police cited a survivor who was injured and managed to return home as saying.The victims were from poor backgrounds and had paid around $8,000 for the fake jobs that brought them to Russia, Bangladeshi media reported.Both Russia and Ukraine have recruited thousands of foreign nationals into their armies since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago.An estimated 28,000 foreigners from 136 countries are said to be fighting in the Russian army, and officials believe Moscow deployed some 14,000 North Korean troops to battle Ukraine’s 2024 incursion into the Kursk region.