Russia exploits migrant labor to dig trenches in Ukraine
Migrants who are sent to work in the occupied territories of Ukraine complain about deception not for the first time (Photo:Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
Migrant workers from Tajikistan, who were hired to dig trenches in Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast, have accused their employers of cheating, Russian Telegram channel Baza reported on Feb. 17, citing one of the victims.
One of the workers, Aminjon, says that he and 32 other Tajik and Uzbek citizens were sent to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast to dig trenches a month ago, but they were not paid the agreed amount in full. The migrants were reportedly housed in abandoned Ukrainian homes.
Aminjon claimed that he had only received RUB 595,000 ($7,971) out of the promised RUB 800,000 ($10,717) for digging two trenches. Some of his coworkers were allegedly left without medical care after sustaining injuries, including one who lost a hand, and another who had appendicitis.
This is not the first time that migrants sent to work in the occupied territories of Ukraine have complained about breaches of contract. In early December 2022, migrants from Tajikistan who went to “rebuild” Russian-occupied Mariupol said that their employers had paid only half of the promised salary.
At the end of January, satellite imagery confirmed that Russians were building trenches, ditches, and shelters for military hardware near the Berdiansk airfield in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
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