A total of four Bangladeshi medical students are currently stranded in Sumy, a city in north-eastern Ukraine and the capital of Sumy Oblast, near the Russian border.
The Bangladeshi students – Farzana Akter, Md Sabbir Ahmed, Md Rifat Bhuiyan and Foysal Mohd Ziauddin Khan – are constantly calling on the authorities for their relocation.
Eva Farzana Akhter told Dhaka Tribune that the students had been seeking help in order to leave the city which is approximately 55 kilometers from the Russian border.
"Right now, we are hiding in the basement of our dormitory. We do not know if this basement is secured enough for us to survive. We urge the Bangladesh government to try and evacuate us from the eastern side of Ukraine," she said.
"Travelling on our own is not possible under the current circumstances. Martial law has been imposed here and that means there can be no outing. No cars, no buses and no private vehicle can ply the roads. ATM booths and supermarkets are also closed," the student said.
She cried for help saying: "We do not have enough supplies here to spend more days. The Bangladesh government is our last hope... we want to go to our motherland and see our loved ones. Kindly help us."
The students claimed that the Indian students in the city had been reaching neighboring countries or returning to India safely with the help of their embassy.
Also Read- Foreign Ministry asks Bangladeshis to evacuate Ukraine thru bordering countries
They requested the Bangladesh embassy in Poland to cooperate with them so that they can return to Bangladesh.
Ambassador of Bangladesh to Poland, Sultana Laila Hossain, told Dhaka Tribune that they had requested all Bangladeshi nationals stranded in Ukraine to contact them through messages as officials would not be able to pick up calls under the current circumstances.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Friday said the Bangladeshis stranded in Ukraine could seek safe shelters to Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova along with Poland. They have been advised to contact the following numbers for necessary assistance:
For Slovakia and Hungary: Bangladesh Embassy in Austria, Vienna: (i) Rahat Bin Zaman, Deputy Chief of Mission: +43 688 60344492 (ii) Jubayadul H. Chowdhury, ACO: +43 688 60603068.
For Romania and Moldova: Bangladesh Embassy in Romania, Bucharest: (i) +40 (742) 553 809 (ii) Mir Mehedi Hasan (tel and WhatsApp group)+40 (742) 553 809.
For Poland: Bangladesh Embassy in Poland, Warsaw: (i) Md Masudur Rahman +48 739 527 722 (ii) Md Mahbubur Rahman +48 579 262 403 (iii) MST Farhana Yesmin +48 690 282 561 (iv) Billal Hossain +48 739 634 125 (v) Md Rabbani +48 696 745 903.