At a time when Bangladesh is grappling with several issues—from price hikes to wearing teep alongside some chilling murders, some of its people have "shown interest" in joining Russian forces in their war against Ukraine.
No wonder the information came in a “formal” way from Moscow.
In what appears to be an interesting statement, the Russian embassy in Dhaka on its official Facebook page on Thursday afternoon came up with the claim, saying many even offered to fight for free.
It, however, said: “There is no need for volunteers from Bangladesh to join the operation.”
Before that, it read: “We appreciate this noble urge of the Bangladeshi people. However, the special military operation is going according to the plan, with the Russian Armed Forces successfully achieving set goals and objectives.”
Since February 11, numerous Bangladeshi citizens expressed their willingness to contribute on an unpaid basis to the war in Ukraine and the Russian-backed Donbas region Donbas, the embassy posted.
This comes days after some media reports suggested some Bangladeshi expatriates in Ukraine have reportedly taken up arms for Ukraine, to fend off Russian forces.
On March 11, President Vladimir Putin approved the initiative to assist foreign volunteers who wish to join the operation on the Russian side to move to the combat zone, the embassy says.
“It is heartening to note that many Bangladeshis acknowledge the just aspirations of the Russian Government to give a decisive rebuff to Nato in East Europe and to put an end to neo-Nazism in Ukraine,” it adds.
Move against Bangladesh’s stance
If the claim made by the embassy proves to be true, the so-called Bangladeshis wishing to join the war are clearly against the country’s position on the matter.
On March 24, Bangladesh voted in favour of the UN General Assembly’s non-binding resolution demanding an "immediate" stop to Russia's war in Ukraine.
However, in the previous UN vote on the issue, Bangladesh abstained from voting on March 2.
