Young Bangladeshi Man Who Joined Russian Forces Killed in Ukrainian Attack
Mohammad Riad Rashid. Photo: Collected.
Md. Riad Rashid (28), a young man from Kishoreganj, has been killed in a drone attack by Ukrainian forces in Russia. He was the son of one Md. Abdur Rashid of Majhirkona village in the Jafrapur Union of Karimganj Upazila, Kishoreganj. The family of the deceased has confirmed the news.
Locals said the family learned of the incident last Friday night, one week after Riad Rashid was killed. He was the third among four brothers and three sisters.
The family said Riad Rashid traveled to Russia in October last year to work for a company. On April 7, he joined the Russian Army, assigned to batch number 735. However, the family was unaware of his draft in the military.
On Friday evening, Riad’s friend Limon Dutta informed the family about the death via Facebook Messenger. Limon was also stationed at the same camp in Russia and is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital after losing a leg in a drone strike.
According to Limon, Ukrainian forces carried out a drone attack along the Russian border on May 2. Riad, along with another Bangladeshi and a Nigerian national, was killed in the strike, while three others were injured.
Meanwhile, Riad's father, Abdur Rashid, has been devastated by the news of his son's death. He said, "Riad didn't tell us he had joined the army. If I had known, I would never have let him go there. Now I am hearing that everything is over because of a drone attack. I can't even find my son's body. As a father, how am I supposed to bear this pain?"
Abu Sadat Md. Sayem, Chairman of the Jafrapur Union Parishad (UP), said, "The incident is extremely tragic. I have checked in on the family of the deceased."
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Karimganj Police Station, Md. Emranul Kabir, stated that the police confirmed the death after visiting Riad Rashid's home and speaking with his relatives.
