War in Ukraine: As "Bait" for Moscow to the Front: 20 Bangladeshis killed

Many details about the course of the war, such as casualty figures or details of battles, come from Ukrainian or Russian authorities and cannot be independently verified. For our live blog, in addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA, and Bloomberg. Important Updates "Bait" for Russia at the Front: 20 Bangladeshis Killed Ukraine: Space-X Limits Starlink Use for Military First Tanker On the Way: Russia Resumes Diesel Shipments Ukraine: Hundreds of Households Without Electricity After Russian Attacks Selenskij Complains About Lack of Warning Against Russian Missiles "Bait" for Russia at the Front: 20 Bangladeshis Killed At least 20 citizens of Bangladesh, who were allegedly lured to Russia with false job promises, were killed as living "bait" in the Ukraine war. This was reported by a special unit of the Bangladeshi police in Dhaka. The Special Response Battalion (SRB) in the South Asian country is investigating cases of human trafficking. Preliminary investigations indicated that the persons, who were actually combat-worthy, were sent to the front as "bait" to locate enemy positions. Members of an internationally operating smuggling network allegedly recruited the victims as construction workers with the help of local "agents," it was reported. However, upon arrival, they were forced to undergo a three-week training that would prepare them for military deployment. "They were handed over to the Russian military, and their passports and mobile phones were taken from them immediately upon arrival on Russian soil," explained the head SRB officer Mohammad Asaduzzaman. The information could not be independently verified at first. Members of an internationally operating smuggling network allegedly recruited the victims as construction workers with the help of local "agents," it was reported. However, upon arrival, they were forced to undergo a three-week training that would prepare them for military deployment. "They were handed over to the Russian military, and their passports and mobile phones were taken from them immediately upon arrival on Russian soil," explained the head SRB officer Mohammad Asaduzzaman. The information could not be independently verified at first. 30 "smuggled" Bangladeshis arrived in Russia in early May. Of them, 17 were already killed on the first day of their frontline deployment from drone attacks, said Asaduzzaman, citing survivors who managed to return to their homeland. Three more died later in a hospital. According to Asaduzzaman, two alleged members of the smuggling gang have since been arrested. Amnesty International also accuses Russia of recruiting foreign nationals for its war of aggression against Ukraine through deception, coercion, and exploitation. In September, the human rights organization published a report stating that a system was created to specifically exploit people in precarious situations. In its research, Amnesty interviewed people from eight countries who were held in two Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps between 2024 and 2026, according to their own information. Amnesty also relies on conversations with relatives, lawyers, human rights activists, and media professionals. Amnesty International also accuses Russia of recruiting foreign nationals for its war of aggression against Ukraine through deception, coercion, and exploitation. In September, the human rights organization published a report stating that a system was created to specifically exploit people in precarious situations. The Ukrainian capital Kyiv has once again been hit by ballistic missiles from Russia – and this time there was no prior warning from allies, the government complained. The first explosions were heard in the million-city immediately after the air raid alert, reported the news portal The Kyiv Independent. A nine-story residential building caught fire after a hit, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, there were at least two deaths and more than 20 injuries. As yesterday, international partners also gave no warnings about incoming missiles this time, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskij in the evening. "Again, no warning from the partners," he wrote on Telegram. The target was also a heating plant in the eastern part of the capital Kyiv. The missiles were only detected by radar as they approached Kyiv. Selenskij accused Russia of preparing new attacks. It is "not fair" if the Russians destroy energy facilities "and Ukraine does not even receive warnings about the launch of ballistic missiles". It is important that the US really sees what is happening and who is to blame for the war continuing. As yesterday, international partners also gave no warnings about incoming missiles this time, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskij in the evening. "Again, no warning from the partners," he wrote on Telegram. The target was also a heating plant in the eastern part of the capital Kyiv. The missiles were only detected by radar as they approached Kyiv. The Ukraine relies in its defense against the Russian war of aggression mainly on intelligence data from the US military, but also from other NATO member states. However, tensions between the governments in Kyiv and Washington have once again surfaced. US President Donald Trump recently denied that Washington had stopped sharing military information with Ukraine. The EU is pushing forward negotiations for accession with Ukraine and Moldova. During accession conferences in Luxembourg, talks on two additional thematic blocks were started on Tuesday. Representatives of the 27 EU states had given the green light for this step the day before. Specifically, the new thematic blocks concern the internal market as well as competitiveness and inclusive growth. The internal market includes, for example, free movement of goods, services, and capital, as well as freedom of movement for employees; for competitiveness, topics include economic and tax policy, education, and research. The decision to expand the negotiations is seen by both countries as an important sign that their reform efforts are paying off. Especially Ukraine, attacked by Russia, is costing them a lot of energy. The goal of the negotiation process to join the EU is to ensure that a candidate country meets all the requirements for membership. To make it more transparent, it was divided into 35 so-called chapters. 33 of them are assigned to six thematic areas, also called clusters. With the conclusion of the talks, especially for Ukraine, it is not expected before the coming decades. According to experts, the country is still far from EU standards in areas such as combating corruption. Research on the War: Russian Authorities Arrest Japanese Journalists The Russian intelligence service FSB arrested a Japanese journalist from the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper on suspicion of espionage. The arrest took place in the area around the Sakhalin Island in the Far East of the country, Russian state media reported, citing the intelligence service. The man was brought to Moscow, where a court ordered two months of investigation detention. According to the information, the reporter collected information about the participation of residents of the Kuril Islands in the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine since 2022. There are only a little over 20,000 people living on the island group belonging to the Sachalin province. The Kuril Islands are a rich group of islands in the Pacific that were conquered by Japan from the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Moscow and Tokyo have been arguing since then over which of the four southernmost Kuril Islands belong, which is why there is no peace treaty to this day. Some islands of the Kurils are only a few kilometers from the Japanese island of Hokkaido and are of military importance to Russia. In August, a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the island of Iturup worsened relations between the two neighboring states. Tokyo protested and referred to the so-called Northern Territories as "own Japanese territory". Moscow has already arrested foreign citizens several times on suspicion of espionage to later exchange them for Russians residing abroad. Six US Senators from the Republicans are calling on President Trump to end the diesel agreement with Russia. The move marks a departure from the Republicans' hitherto almost unrestricted support for Trump's foreign policy decisions. In a letter published on Tuesday by the twelve politicians, it stated that the diesel agreement gives Russia more fuel to finance its war against Ukraine and brings no benefits to US citizens. "Giving Moscow the opportunity to sell Russian diesel freely on the world markets harms US security interests and is a betrayal of the Ukrainian people, who continue to defend themselves against the murderous, illegal war of Vladimir Putin," it stated. The agreement is a gift to an opponent and a betrayal of allies. It must be reversed. Trump, who recently announced the agreement after a phone call with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, avoided journalists' question about whether Russia could use the proceeds from the deal to buy more bombs. Among the signatories of the letter are five other party colleagues of the leading Republican Mitch McConnell and six Democrats. The objection comes three weeks before the midterm elections on November 3, when the balance of power in Congress will be decided.