22-Year-Old Recruit Survives Drone Strike
Razan Hossain was promised a construction job in Russia but was sent to the front lines in Ukraine, where twenty countrymen were killed near him.
By James Foster ·
Razan Hossain lost twenty fellow countrymen in a single drone strike while fighting for Russia in Ukraine. The twenty-two-year-old from Jhenaidah district in Bangladesh boarded a plane in Dhaka on May 7 with thirty other men. He had been recruited by the agency Jabale Noor for a construction job in Russia.
Hossain said the recruiters offered the group 75,000 rubles per month, roughly 930 dollars. His family sold land to pay the 1 million taka, approximately 8,000 dollars, required for visas and travel. The men landed in Moscow on May 7 and were immediately transported to a war zone hundreds of kilometers away.
Upon arrival, the group was divided into three units. Hossain stated that despite having legal documents for an electrician helper position, he was forced to fight with minimal training. He was handed an automatic rifle and ammunition. On June 14, a drone strike wounded Hossain severely. His unit commander refused to send him to a hospital, providing only basic first aid.
Hossain reported that he was beaten when he requested proper treatment. His lower body was burned, and he lost hearing in one ear. He returned to Bangladesh in late August after receiving help from a sympathetic doctor and the Bangladeshi Embassy in Moscow. He now uses crutches to walk.
A United Nations report published last month accused Russia of recruiting nationals from at least twenty-nine countries through deception and trafficking. The report noted that victims were lured by false offers of civilian employment. Russian authorities have denied these allegations, stating that foreign fighters sign voluntary military contracts.
Bangladeshi officials have arrested two men suspected of trafficking thirty citizens to Russia. They are searching for two other individuals linked to recruiters Jabal-e-Noor, RS International, and TS Overseas Limited. The Special Response Battalion head, Mohammad Asaduzzaman, accused Russian forces of using Bangladeshis as bait to locate enemy positions during drone attacks.
Data from the Bangladeshi Overseas Employment Platform shows that 7,449 Bangladeshis received employment clearances for Russia between January 1, 2025, and October 27, 2026. A joint investigation by Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds found that at least 104 Bangladeshis were recruited for the Russian military, with at least 34 killed. Families of missing soldiers are demanding the repatriation of their bodies.
