“A man hailing from Mymensingh called and said Akram was no more. He died in an attack by the opposing force”
Published : 20 Apr 2025, 11:39 AM
A migrant worker from Ashuganj who went to Russia to work and took part in the Ukraine war after he was “lured by a middleman” has died.
His family said he was killed while taking part in the war.
News of Akram Hossain’s death reached his family on Friday, his father Morshed Mia said.
Akram, 25, hailed from Lalpur Hosenpur village in Ashuganj. The entire village was in deep shock after receiving the news of his death.
Akram was the eldest of five siblings, his relatives said. He travelled to Russia to work and try to earn a living for his family a year ago. Initially, he took a job in a Chinese company. Although he did not get a hefty paycheque, his family saw some financial relief.
Around two and a half months ago, Akram was “lured by a middleman” and joined the Russian troops contracted to fight the war in Ukraine. He posted a photo of himself clad in a serviceman's uniform on Facebook.
Upon reaching Russia, Akram received regular payments for the first four months, said his father Morshed. After that, his work stopped and his employer did not provide him with food either.
Later, Akram and six others were sent to Moscow and made to join the Russian Army, with “promises to get them Russian citizenship and Tk 2 billion.”
Later Akram and the others learnt that each of them was sold off at Tk 200,000. After two weeks of training, they were sent to the battlefield. Then the news of Akram’s death arrived.
Mobina Begum, Akram’s mother, said in an emotion-choked voice: “On Apr 13, my son told me that he was ‘scared.’ He said he would call again after he woke up. But he never called. A man originally from Mymensingh called and said Akram was no more. He died in an attack by the opposing force.”
Ashuganj Upazila executive officer (UNO) Rafe Mohammed Chhora said, “No one from Akram’s family contacted me. I heard about the incident through different media reports.”
He assured that all types of assistance would be provided to Akram’s family.