4 of 30 Bangladeshis lured to Russia with job promises die; efforts on to bring back others

Four of the 30 Bangladeshi workers who travelled to Russia after being promised lucrative jobs have died, while the government has launched diplomatic efforts to bring the remaining workers back to Bangladesh, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury told parliament today (9 July).

Responding to a question from Lalmonirhat-1 lawmaker Md Hasan Rajib Pradhan during the question-and-answer session, the minister said the workers had been sent to Russia on 24 April after obtaining manpower clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) through three recruiting agencies with licence numbers RL-1455, RL-1428 and RL-2505.

He said the government took action after receiving reports that the workers were being forcibly prepared for combat and were set to be deployed from military camps to the battlefield after arriving in Russia.

As part of the response, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment sent a letter to the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow on 15 June, instructing it to take the necessary steps to rescue the stranded workers and facilitate their return home.

"The latest information indicates that four of the 30 workers have died. We hope to bring the remaining workers back through continued communication with the relevant Russian authorities," the minister told parliament.

The case drew widespread attention in April after the families of the workers alleged that their relatives, who had travelled to Russia for high-paying civilian jobs, were instead being given military training and prepared for deployment to the front lines of the war in Ukraine.

Following the allegations, the government launched an investigation and stepped up diplomatic efforts to secure the workers' return.

The incident also received international media coverage, with reports highlighting claims that Bangladeshi job seekers had been lured to Russia under false promises before being sent towards a conflict zone.

Ariful Haque Choudhury / Bangladesh / Russia / death / Migrant workers death

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