Mohammad Jamil Khan

A Bangladeshi man, reportedly captured by Ukrainian forces, has made a desperate appeal to return home, saying he wants to go back to Bangladesh and no longer remain with the Russian side after what he claims was a deceptive recruitment process.

Bangladeshi men are being flown out of Dhaka, routed through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, before being taken to Moscow and forced onto the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

With one day left before his visa expired, Mohammad Julhas, 28, could not afford another cancellation.

More than 100 Bangladeshis have been recruited into Russia’s war against Ukraine, and dozens have been killed on the front lines, according to rights groups that say many of the men were misled, exploited, or financially trapped before ending up in combat.

Mohammad Obaidullah thought he was finally heading back to work in Dammam after two failed attempts. The 38-year-old, from Cumilla’s Muradnagar, had boarded a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight on February 28.

Flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Doha remained suspended, with airport officials reporting around 90 cancellations from Dhaka and Chattogram since Saturday.

Flights from Bangladesh to several Middle Eastern destinations have remained suspended since yesterday afternoon as some countries in the region temporarily closed their airspace due to US and Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.

Passengers told to leave contacts and await updates from airlines