Stop trafficking of youths into war
Every time news of a Bangladeshi migrant killed in the Russia-Ukraine war reaches home, it not only devastates a family but also resurfaces the question of why our migrants are being used as pawns in foreign wars. The easy answer is human trafficking; the difficult truth is that our government, past and present, has failed to prevent this trade in human lives lost on the frontlines in distant countries.
The news of the death of 28-year-old Md Riyad Rashid in a Ukrainian drone attack on May 2 near the Russia-Ukraine border comes after a report by international human rights organisations Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds revealed that at least 34 Bangladeshis were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war as of February 2026. However, the informal channels through which news of the deaths arrives suggest that the actual number of Bangladeshi migrants killed could be even higher. For instance, in Riyad’s case, his friend Limon Dutta, who was injured in the same drone attack, informed Riyad’s parents that another Bangladeshi had also been killed alongside their son, but he could not confirm his identity. Riyad’s parents didn’t know he was fighting on the frontlines. In 2024, when he left for Russia, he was supposed to work for a company.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
According to Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds, many of these migrants have been misled, exploited, and financially trapped into joining the combat. Traffickers in Bangladesh exploit the financial desperation of young men like Riyad, making them believe that they would either work in factories in Europe or serve in non-combat roles in the Russian military. And the recruitment is not free. Hopeful migrants often pay between Tk 1.2 lakh and Tk 6 lakh to brokers. Of course, no one would pay such sums to brokers to join a war in which they have no stake, especially at the risk of losing their lives. What is needed, therefore, is stern action from the government to identify and crack down on these fraudulent recruitment networks.
Recently, the UK government slapped sanctions on a Bangladeshi travel agency, Dream Home Travels and Tours Ltd, accusing it of exploiting vulnerable migrants to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. If the UK could identify Bangladeshi firms allegedly involved in such activities, similar tasks should not be impossible for our law enforcers and intelligence agencies. In the meantime, the government must run a strong campaign to raise awareness about these exploitative recruitment agencies. It must also initiate diplomatic measures to press Russia to stop employing Bangladeshis in military roles and repatriate those already on the frontlines. Most importantly, the bodies of those killed must be returned to their loved ones. Our young men are not foot soldiers to be sacrificed in distant wars.
Comments