Facebook ads target Bangladeshis with promise of joining Russian military
Facebook advertisements are targeting Bangladeshis not with offers of ordinary work but with direct calls to fight for Russia. The ads promise earnings of roughly $64,000 a year. Many Bangladeshis have been seen expressing interest in the comments of these ads. However, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment has said there is no permission for anyone to travel to Russia to join the Russian armed forces.
A 10-second Bangla ad, that has been live on Facebook since July 22, recently came to Dismislab’s attention. The caption, in Bangla, read, “Opportunity to earn up to $64,000 a year.” That amounts to roughly 7.9 million taka in Bangladeshi currency. The audio, also in Bangla, said, “Men are being recruited for contract-based military service. Work in assault units. Your one step could save someone’s life. Join, and bring victory for the country.”
The ad was being run from a page called “Служба по контракту”, which translates to “Contract-based service.” Four similar ads were found active from the same page. A review of the page’s information showed that it is operated from the United Kingdom. According to Meta’s Ad Library, the ads remained active as recently as July 28. Most of the people expressing interest in the ad’s comments were Bangladeshi.
Directly below the ad is the text, “For details, contact us on Telegram. ✈️ Free plane tickets and full relocation assistance will be provided.” Clicking the “See Details” button leads to a Telegram bot program for signing a contract with the Russian army. The bot claims to be the “official” bot of Russia’s Ministry of Defense’s military personnel recruitment agency. It helps foreigners sign contracts for military service in Russia, providing details on contract length, salary, signing bonus and candidate requirements.
When the bot was later messaged directly, it said the length of service is one year or more. The monthly salary starts at $2,100. The signing bonus is $28,500. It also promises Russian citizenship. Candidates must be between 18 and 49 years old. Applicants must also pass medical tests for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis after arriving in Russia. The Telegram bot also stated that no military experience is required.
Another ad was found that had been active on Facebook since July 7. That ad, now inactive, was written in large English text reading, “Russian Army Contract,” along with promises of a $12,000 signing bonus and a monthly salary of $2,700. The ad was run from a page called “Morton Jacob Frank”. According to Meta’s page transparency information, the ad was created on Dec 21, and the administrator’s location is shown as the United States. That ad also drew more than 100 reactions and comments, with several Bangladeshis expressing interest there as well.
Clicking the “Get Offer” button on the ad leads to another chatbot. There, users must first enter their mobile number. The bot then asks, one by one, for age, physical fitness and whether the person has a valid passport to travel to Russia.
When the bot was directly asked about the nature of the work and the risk of death, it responded that the role would primarily involve logistics and security support duties. It also acknowledged that there would be the highest level of risk on the battlefield. When asked what compensation would be provided if someone died, the bot said the family would receive appropriate compensation. When asked for casualty statistics, however, it failed to provide any specific numbers or figures. Asked whether the Bangladeshi government had authorized this route to Russia, the bot said, “This is conducted in coordination with the government of Bangladesh.” Asked whether the Russian Embassy was aware of the arrangement, the bot claimed that the embassy is involved in the visa process.
An investigative report published by the German broadcaster “Tagesschau” also found that such ads were being run in several countries. The investigation found that an organization called “WorkVia” is running a similar campaign through a website, Telegram channel, Instagram posts and Facebook ads.
The report states that despite Meta’s ban on advertising from Russia since 2022, the campaign is being run through more than 40 Facebook pages. The report said that after one such page was reported to Meta and subsequently removed, a similar new page became active again within a short time.
According to the report, this kind of campaign has been targeting men in Indonesia and Cambodia since at least October of last year. It offers a monthly salary of $3,200 and a signing bonus of $30,000. It also promises additional bonuses for destroying enemy equipment or shooting down drones on the battlefield.
On July 20, the report was republished by “stoprussianrecruiters.org”, a database run by Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dismislab’s investigation also found a Telegram channel called “Work in Russian Army” and a WhatsApp group called “Work in Russia.” These, too, provide various information and details about the process of joining the Russian armed forces. Upon joining the WhatsApp group, it was found to have more than 600 members, including several Bangladeshi phone numbers. Shortly after joining the group, this reporter was messaged by a Russian number and a Bangladeshi number, both asking whether they were interested in joining the Russian army.
Can you actually join Russian army?
To learn about the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh to Russia and about joining the Russian armed forces, Dismislab contacted Mohammad Shariful Islam, public relations officer at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. He said, “There is no permission for any unregistered organization to recruit or send workers from Bangladesh to any foreign country. In addition, there are restrictions on Bangladeshi citizens joining the Russian armed forces.”
He also sent a copy of a notice published by the ministry on July 27, which granted permission for the recruitment of 42 unskilled workers to Russia. The terms of the notice state that the relevant agency must submit a non-judicial affidavit, on a 300 BDT stamp, certifying that no approved worker will be involved in the war.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of the BRAC Migration Program, told Dismislab, “Recruiting people for jobs abroad without a valid recruiting license (RL number) is completely illegal. It is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies to take action against those engaged in this kind of activity.
“Discussions have also taken place with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on stopping such fraudulent advertisements online. Additionally, no foreign organization can directly recruit workers from Bangladesh. A domestic intermediary is required for this. So if any Bangladeshi individual or organization is found to be involved in this process, they can be brought under the law,” he added.
Warning against falling into the trap of such advertisements, Shariful Hasan further said, “Many travel agencies or unregistered intermediaries are running such enticing advertisements online. They lure people with promises of various jobs, then involve them in the war. Even those who go to Russia lured by money end up facing danger instead of earning money. We have received many such complaints. So everyone must refrain from falling into the trap of such advertisements on social media without proper verification.”
Deaths in war
Meanwhile, a joint investigation by the human rights organization Fortify Rights and the Ukraine-based organization Truth Hounds uncovered evidence of Bangladeshi deaths in the war in Ukraine. According to that report, published on March 3, at least 34 of 104 Bangladeshis involved in the Russia-Ukraine war have died. The report was compiled based on interviews with 24 people conducted in Bangladesh and Ukraine between May 2025 and February 2026, including Bangladeshis who had joined the Russian forces, trafficking victims and family members of those killed. The joint investigation was published by Fortify Rights.
A joint investigation published on July 11, 2025, by BBC Russian Service and the independent outlet Mediazona provided a global tally. The investigation confirmed the identities of 118,139 soldiers killed fighting for Russia, among whom were 523 foreign nationals from 28 countries who did not hold Russian citizenship at the time of their recruitment. The researchers themselves noted that this figure represents only deaths confirmed through public sources, and that the actual number could be far higher.
All social media captions, quotations, and news excerpts in this article have been translated into English from the languages in which they were originally posted or published.
