Bangladeshi expatriates in the Ukraine are living in fear and uncertainty amid the Russian Invasion, with most of them unsure whether it is safe to leave their homes.
Several Bangladeshi students in the East European country told this correspondent that they were yet to receive word from the government on what they should do. Subsequently, the Bangladesh government published a notice asking all Bangladeshi nationals in Ukraine to evacuate through the bordering countries of Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Poland.
The students also expressed concern over what would happen to their education. Most educational institutions in Ukraine have announced a two-week closure due to the invasion.
Farzana Akhter, medical student at Sumy State University in Ukraine, said: “The situation is getting worse, day by day. The university authorities have asked us to be patient and refrain from going outdoors.”
She added that there were several bombings in nearby areas on Thursday night.
Regarding evacuation through the border, she said: “The Polish border is about 900km away. We would have to hire a car and travel for around five hours from Kyiv.”
A curfew is in effect in Sumy state from 10am-7pm, with all buses and trains suspended.
This correspondent could hear air raid sirens over the phone while speaking to the student.
Zahid Hassan, who lives in Zhytomyr state and is a student of a government university, said he travelled on foot for five hours to get to the Polish border in the morning, and was waiting for immigration as the counters were still closed.
The university had been continuing academic activities until the bombings began on Thursday.
Mubarak Zain, a student at the International European University in Kyiv, said: "Despite instructions from the Bangladeshi embassy in Poland to leave Ukraine, we are unable to contact them. Their contact numbers were unresponsive."
Moin Uddin, a Bangladeshi citizen in the Central Ukrainian city Poltava, said: “I don't know what to do. Russia is not far from here."
Jubayer Ahmed, a businessman, told Dhaka Tribune that he had bought a bus ticket to Poland for a family of six, including his two children. His journey would start at 5 pm local time.
He had been living in the city of Zhytomyr, in the north west of Ukraine, for two years.
He said he had decided not to return to the country until February 24, thinking that he would lose his job, but he decided to leave Ukraine after the attacks.
“We were sure there would be no war, but after receiving the news of the attack, we collected bus tickets to Poland. Now, the only concern is how to return to Bangladesh safely.”
The cold at the border was also causing significant suffering for those who were waiting to evacuate.
