Bangladeshi Worker Trapped by War in Ukraine

A Bangladeshi migrant worker who travelled abroad hoping to improve his family’s financial future is now imprisoned in Ukraine after his family alleges he was deceived into joining the Russian military and became caught up in the ongoing war.

Kamrul Hasan, 38, from Laur Fatehpur village in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria, had spent years working overseas to support his family. Instead of finding the stable employment he had sought, his journey reportedly descended into deception, conflict and uncertainty. His wife and six-year-old daughter are now waiting anxiously in Bangladesh, hoping that diplomatic efforts will eventually bring him home.

According to his family, Kamrul was the sole breadwinner of the household. After working in Singapore for around 12 years, he returned to Bangladesh in 2024 with plans to seek better-paying employment elsewhere. While searching for overseas opportunities, he reportedly came across a recruitment advertisement offering jobs in Russia.

The advertisement promised employment with Sinopac Engineering and Construction Company at a monthly salary of between 600 and 700 US dollars. Kamrul is said to have contacted MSTC Technical Training Centre in Uttara, Dhaka, which was operating in cooperation with an overseas recruitment agency.

His family said he signed an employment agreement worth approximately Tk800,000 and completed three months of training before leaving for Russia. Including training fees, visa processing and documentation expenses, the total cost of his migration reached around Tk850,000.

To finance the move, the family reportedly borrowed heavily. His wife, Nazmin Akter, said they took out a high-interest loan of Tk250,000 from a local lender, borrowed Tk100,000 from a relative and another Tk100,000 from family members living in Dhaka. The remaining amount was arranged through other personal sources. They believed Kamrul would begin earning within a few months and repay the debts, but events unfolded very differently.

Kamrul arrived in Russia on 17 July 2025. According to his family’s account, he initially stayed in a mountainous region before travelling to Moscow in search of work. It was there, they allege, that he became the victim of a trafficking network.

His wife claims that brokers later persuaded him with promises of employment in Italy and collected an additional Tk500,000. Instead of facilitating onward travel, she alleges that he was handed over to the Russian military and forced to sign a one-year contract to participate in military operations connected to the war in Ukraine.

Nazmin said she last spoke to her husband by telephone on 31 March this year. During that conversation, Kamrul reportedly warned that he would disappear for six months and asked her to take care of their young daughter. When she questioned why he would be unreachable, he allegedly revealed that he and others had been transferred to the Russian military through brokers and were undergoing combat training.

She also recalled seeing Russian soldiers and several other Bangladeshis wearing military uniforms behind her husband during a video call. Soon afterwards, all communication ceased. For nearly six weeks, the family received no information about his whereabouts and feared he might have been killed.

Desperate for answers, Nazmin posted an appeal on a social media group for Bangladeshi expatriates on 13 May. Three days later, she was contacted by a foreign journalist identifying himself as Swiss reporter Kurt Pelda. According to Nazmin, he informed her that Kamrul was alive and had been captured by Ukrainian forces along with another Bangladeshi identified as Suman.

The journalist reportedly said both men had been detained without weapons after attempting to flee from a Russian military camp following prolonged hardship, hunger and mistreatment. Because they were unarmed when captured, they were being held by Ukrainian authorities as prisoners of war.

On 17 May, Nazmin received a WhatsApp video call facilitated by a commander at a Ukrainian prison, allowing her to speak briefly with her husband.

She said the commander repeatedly questioned why Kamrul had come to fight against Ukraine and whether he had intended to harm civilians. Nazmin explained that, according to her understanding, her husband had travelled to Russia in search of legitimate employment and had become trapped by circumstances beyond his control. She was also informed that Kamrul had been detained without identity documents or other official papers.

Kamrul’s return to Bangladesh remains uncertain. His family has appealed to the relevant government authorities and Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions to verify his identity and pursue the necessary diplomatic channels for his safe repatriation.

The case highlights growing concerns about migrant workers becoming vulnerable to fraudulent recruitment practices during times of international conflict. Families seeking better economic opportunities can face devastating consequences when promises of overseas employment are exploited by criminal networks. For Kamrul’s family, the immediate concern is no longer financial stability but the hope that he will survive the ordeal and one day return safely to his wife and young daughter.