Bangladeshi Worker Trapped in Ukraine After Russia Ordeal

A Bangladeshi migrant worker who travelled to Russia in search of a better future has reportedly ended up in a Ukrainian prison after what his family describes as a chain of deception by labour brokers. His wife is now living with mounting debt and uncertainty while waiting for the day he might finally return home.

Kamrul Hasan, 38, is a resident of Laur Fatehpur village in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria. His wife, Nazmin Akter, and their six-year-old daughter, Tayebya Noor, remain at their family home in Bangladesh, anxiously awaiting news of his fate.

According to family members, Kamrul had spent around 12 years working in Singapore before returning to Bangladesh in 2024. Hoping to improve his financial situation, he later responded to a recruitment advertisement offering employment in Russia. The position reportedly promised monthly wages of between US$600 and US$700 with Sinopec Engineering and Construction Company.

The family said Kamrul contacted a representative at MSTC Technical Training Centre in Uttara, Dhaka, described as an associate organisation of Munia Overseas. He signed an agreement for overseas employment worth Tk800,000 and completed three months of training before travelling to Russia after paying a total of approximately Tk850,000 in recruitment fees and other related expenses.

Nazmin said the money was raised through loans from relatives and local lenders, including a high-interest loan of Tk250,000 from a resident of their area, Tk100,000 from a relative, and another Tk100,000 borrowed from family members living in Dhaka. The remaining amount was also arranged through various sources, leaving the family burdened with significant debt.

Kamrul arrived in Russia on 17 July 2025. According to his wife, he initially stayed for five to six months in a mountainous region before travelling to Moscow in search of work. It was there, she alleged, that he became the victim of labour brokers.

She claimed one broker abandoned him, forcing him to spend two nights sleeping outdoors. Another allegedly promised to send him to Italy in exchange for Tk500,000 but instead defrauded him. The family further alleges that Kamrul was subsequently handed over to the Russian military, where he was compelled to sign a one-year contract to participate in 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 she would not be able to contact him for six months and urged her to take good care of their daughter. When asked why he would disappear, he allegedly explained that brokers had forced him into signing military papers and that he would undergo military training before being deployed.

She also recalled seeing several Bangladeshi nationals wearing military uniforms alongside Russian soldiers during a video call. Shortly afterwards, all communication ceased, and the family received no information about his whereabouts for nearly six weeks.

Believing he might have died, Nazmin eventually turned to social media. On 13 May, she posted an appeal seeking information about her husband in a Facebook group for Bangladeshi expatriates in Russia.

Three days later, she received a WhatsApp message from a man identifying himself as Swiss journalist Kurt Pelda. According to Nazmin, he informed her that Kamrul was alive but was being held in a prison in Ukraine.

The journalist reportedly said Kamrul and another Bangladeshi national, identified only as Suman, had been captured by Ukrainian forces while unarmed. He claimed that the pair had fled a Russian military camp after enduring nearly a month of hunger and mistreatment. Because they were not carrying weapons when detained, they were imprisoned rather than treated as armed combatants, according to the account shared with the family.

On 17 May, Nazmin received a WhatsApp video call facilitated by an official described as a commander at the Ukrainian prison where Kamrul was being held. She was able to speak briefly with her husband.

Nazmin said she felt the commander was attempting to question Kamrul and repeatedly accused him of travelling to Ukraine to fight against the country and kill civilians. She said she tried to explain that her husband had been deceived and forced into the situation.

According to her account, the commander also stated that Kamrul had no identification documents or other essential papers in his possession, making it more difficult to verify his identity and nationality.

The family’s account has raised fresh concerns over the risks faced by migrant workers who seek employment abroad through recruitment intermediaries. Rights groups and migration experts have long warned that irregular recruitment practices, false job promises and document confiscation can leave overseas workers vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and forced involvement in armed conflicts.

For Nazmin and her young daughter, however, the broader concerns are overshadowed by one hope: that Kamrul will survive the ordeal and eventually return safely to Bangladesh.