Dhaka, Oct. 14 -- Twenty of 30 Bangladeshis allegedly recruited for construction jobs in Russia have been killed after being forced to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, the Special Response Battalion (SRB) says.

Seventeen died in a drone strike on their first day at the front, with three others dying later, Additional DIG Asaduzzaman, commander of SRB-10, told a news conference in Dhaka on Wednesday.

The findings emerged during an investigation into a human trafficking case filed by the father of Rajon Hossain, 21, who returned home wounded.

Two alleged recruiters, Mizanur Rahman, 55, and Abu Taher Lentu, 50, were arrested on Tuesday.

Investigators say the network, with help from two people in Russia and Kyrgyzstan, recruited young men...