Young Bangladeshi men desperate for work allege they have been tricked into fighting for Russia against Ukraine, with the reported death of a 22-year-old sparking a surge of worried calls.

Bangladesh's embassy in Moscow has said around a dozen families have contacted them seeking to bring back their sons they allege were duped into joining the Russian army.

"We had no idea we'd end up on the battlefield," said Mohammad Akram Hossain, who claimed he and his brother-in-law had registered with a recruiting agency and were originally promised jobs in Cyprus, before being offered work in Russia.

"The recruiting agency said that only work visas for Russia were available, and we agreed to go," the 26-year-old told AFP, now back home in the South Asian nation.

"But we never imagined we would be abandoned like that."

Unemployment is high in Bangladesh and the economy was hit hard by protests last year that toppled the government.

Worried relatives have been messaging Bangladeshi diplomats in Moscow after one family said their son Mohammed Yasin Sheikh, 22, was killed on March 27 while serving in the Russian army.

Abul Hashem, Sheikh's uncle,........

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