Whereabouts of 26 Bangladeshis in Bashundhara’s Ukraine office traced

Bashundhara Group, which has an office in Ukraine, has finally been able to trace its Bangladeshi officials posted in the war-affected country.

“We have 26 Bangladeshi officials in Ukraine and all of them have reached near Poland border,” said Saad Tanvir, head of human resources of Bashundhara Food and Beverage Industries Ltd.

They are expected to cross the Ukraine border to enter Poland in a day or two, he told the Business Insider Bangladesh on Sunday.

Bashundhara Group was in tension as they had lost connections with over two dozen Bangladeshi officials posted in its office in Kyiv.

“Ensuring the well-being of our employees is our first and topmost priority. They are safe now,” Tanvir said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Bashundhara has had a presence in Ukraine for several years. The conglomerate has set up an office there and deployed 26 Bangladeshis there and recruited many Ukrainians.

Bashundhara, which is a leading player in Bangladesh’s packet flour (atta) market, has established an office in Ukraine to source wheat. The group has its own land to produce quality wheat. It also sources wheat through contract-farming, another official said.

After amassing soldiers and ammunition for days Russia started invading Ukraine formally on Thursday. Since then thousands of foreigners and locals have been trying to flee the country. Media reports depict that over two lakh people left Ukraine and took shelter in Poland, Romania and Moldova over the last four days.

Until Sunday, around 400 Bangladeshis safely crossed the Ukrainian border and reached its neighbouring countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday night.