Four years after the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the negative consequences of the conflict go well beyond the framework of Europe. The NGO Fortify Rights, in a conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) draws up an edifying record: war crimes, human trafficking and instability.
In South and Southeast Asia too, war produces invisible but profound effects. Economic neutrality driven by a fear of commitment does not shield certain countries from directly facing the repercussions of this ‘illegal war’.
“A peace without consequences for the aggressors encourages history to repeat itself.”
Viktor Semenov, speaker and business attaché for the Ukrainian embassy in Thailand
Those words pronounced in Bangkok by diplomat Viktor Semenov, speaker and business attaché for the Ukrainian embassy in Thailand, sound like a warning. For if the war in Ukraine seems to be a simple European tragedy, it has become a global phenomenon affecting the security of many non-European regions. This is the whole issue that the 5 speakers wanted to address at the NGO fortify rights conference, organized a few days ago within the FCCT.
Since 2022, accusations have been piling up against Russia: war crimes, torture, forced deportations, illegal transfers of children, repeated violations of international conventions. But the issue has long since surpassed the single European prism: it also concerns the rest of the world and in particular Southeast Asia.
Moscow’s Strategic Partnerships in the Region
On the Ukrainian scene, recalls Semenov, all the facts of war crimes committed by Russia are directly documented by NGOs such as Truth Hounds and Fortify Rights: summary executions, forced disappearances, bombings of civilian infrastructure.
Serious breaches of international humanitarian law, including violations of the Geneva Conventions, have had devastating impacts. Asian countries have not been spared from these atrocities; in March 2022, a Bangladeshi cargo plane was destroyed during Russian strikes in Ukraine, resulting in the tragic loss of several Bangladeshi nationals—a harrowing event that received little attention.
For one Ukrainian diplomatic voice in Bangkok, the core issue stems from the implicit acknowledgment of Russia by certain Asian stakeholders.
In Asia, Russia has many supporters: North Korea, a historical and direct partner. More discreetly, but also the military junta of Myanmar which is quietly strengthening its ties with Moscow since the coup in 2021. This one signed with the Kremlin contracts for weapons but also for cooperation and development with an agreement with Rosatom signed in 2023 to develop civilian nuclear infrastructure. A strategic partnership, with major regional security implications.
The network of alliances reshapes the Ukrainian conflict into a cornerstone of a fragmented and increasingly unstable international order.
Invisible Victims: Human Trafficking and Forced Recruitment of South Asians
One of the most troubling aspects of the conflict is taking place far from the front line as shown in the report ‘I Was Tricked into the War: The Risk of Human Trafficking and Forced Recruitment of Bangladeshi Men into Russia’s War in Ukraine’, presented by its two executive directors, Amy Smith and Oxana Pokalchuk from the NGOs Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds.
Founded in 2013 in Burma, Fortify Rights was established to expose and condemn the genocide of the Rohingya people. Now headquartered in Bangkok, the organization focuses on investigating, cataloging, and documenting human rights violations. In collaboration with Truth Hound, a Ukrainian NGO founded in 2014, Fortify Rights conducted a survey uncovering an organized system of fraudulent recruitment originating in Russia.
Recruiters entice Asian migrant workers from impoverished countries, often Nepal, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka, with promises of jobs, visas, and Russian citizenship. They offer prospects of economic and social advancement alongside the allure of nationality. To obscure their trail, smugglers require these workers to pay for plane tickets with multiple stopovers, frequently routing through cities like Rangoon or destinations in the Middle East before reaching Russian territory.
Upon arriving in Moscow, the victims have their passports confiscated and are made to sign documents in Cyrillic, misrepresented as employment contracts but actually military agreements. These men are subsequently trained and deployed to the Ukrainian front. The numbers are staggering: approximately 200 Nepalese and 2,000 Sri Lankans—largely driven by extreme poverty and limited opportunities in their home country—are believed to have been recruited under this scheme.
The Paradox of ‘Tactical’ Economic Neutrality
The Ukrainian diplomat also warns about the policy of connivance of certain states with the Kremlin. While the policy of economic neutrality adopted by many countries in South-East Asia seems at first sight to be a prudent choice, it is actually a factor in the instability of the region.
Many countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam, have maintained strong ties with the Russian Federation. Russia, in particular, enjoys notable tourist privileges, including 90-day visa-free access compared to the 60-day access granted to citizens of 93 other nations. This has contributed to a remarkable resurgence in Russian tourism since 2022. By 2025, Russia became the fourth-largest source of tourists visiting Thailand, with over one million Russian travelers. Limited access to numerous European destinations has further prompted Russian tourists to increasingly shift their attention to this region.
For economies in need of growth like Thailand, Russian tourism (excellent since it is one of the highest in the world in terms of spending per individual) is a godsend to capture new financial flows and compensate for the slowdown in other markets. Added to this are maintained or even strengthened trade exchanges in the energy, agriculture, or hydrocarbon sectors. But this neutrality, if it may seem sensible in the long term, is not so in the context of regional geopolitical stability.
The Russian Federation, as highlighted in the Fortify Rights report, serves as a catalyst for instability in Southeast Asia. Notably, Russia’s support for authoritarian regimes, such as the Burmese Military Junta following the 2021 coup d’état, has exacerbated border tensions. This has led to frequent clashes near the Thai border, an influx of refugees, and military incursions, all of which contribute to ongoing regional unrest. In this context, Russia is no longer merely a distant economic partner we can pragmatically engage with; it has become, albeit indirectly, a significant factor in regional instability.
Faced with these abuses, Viktor Semenov calls for a firm response: reactivate the instruments of international law. With the help of the coroner (and law professor at Chulalongkorn University) Sriprapha Petcharamesree that “A peace without consequences for the aggressors encourages history to repeat itself.” For this, he appeals to the judgments of the International Criminal Court to judge war crimes. It also highlights the creation of a special tribunal for Ukraine from June 2025. In addition, there is a requirement to establish compensation mechanisms for victims, including those from Asia.
Because as the diplomat recalls: “Victims are everywhere, also here in Thailand”.
The question is no longer where the war is taking place but rather how prepared the world and Southeast Asia are to confront its repercussions.
