‘Bhai, pray for us’: Bangladeshi in Ukraine tells Star

"I was in deep sleep. It was around five in the morning. Suddenly, I felt like the whole house shook with a loud noise. As soon as I woke up, I heard sounds of a few more bombs. The doors and windows of the house were shaking.

"Boryspil International Airport is only 30 kms from my home. As I turned the TV on, I saw there was bombing in the vicinity of the airport."

Khaled Hasan Khan, a Bangladeshi national living in Ukraine, was narrating his experience in a fearful tone. He has been living in Ukraine for 38 years. Khaled, hailing from Tangail, currently lives in Kyiv-- the capital of Ukraine -- with his wife, son and daughter.

He was repeatedly cutting the phone call when talking to The Daily Star. His relatives from Bangladesh were calling out of concern.

When asked how the situation is at the moment, he said that no civilian casualties have been reported yet but everyone is panicked naturally.

In the morning, the Ukrainian president imposed martial law. All power is in the hands of the president, he said. The president also advised people not to panic and asked citizens not to leave their homes. But people are flocking to the streets to get to safety, Khaled said.

Asked if he will leave Ukraine, he replied, "I'm not leaving. I've been in this country for almost 40 years. I can't leave the people of this country in this terrible situation. What happens to everyone will happen to me. If everyone dies, I will die too."

At that moment, a woman's voice was heard from the other side. It was not clear what she said but Khaled said he had to shorten the call because they have to pack and get to a safe place.

Where is the safe location? Khaled said that there are some shelters set up in every area. That's where they will go.

He said that there are about 500 Bangladeshis in Kyiv. Everyone is terrified but many cannot leave as they do not have valid papers. Many are here as refugees, he said.

Before ending the call, he said, "Bhai pray for us."