Jean Roche, an entrepreneur established for 30 years in Ukraine is particularly worried about his employees located in Mariupol. The port city, surrounded by the Russian army, is the subject of constant bombardments.
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The intensification of the Russian offensive, exactly one week after the start of the attack, coincides with new Russian-Ukrainian talks, at the end of which Ukraine and Russia agreed to organize “humanitarian corridors” for the evacuation of civilians from combat zones. “There are 400 to 500 French people left in Ukraine today”believes for her part Anne-Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Jean Roche, boss of the company BETEN International established for 30 years in Ukraine, explains Thursday March 3 on franceinfo “mobilize as well as possible to evacuate colleagues” still on site. “We are mobilizing as best we can to evacuate our French colleagues, who fortunately crossed the other side of the border today. […] There are still all our Ukrainian colleagues who are under the bombs, who are suffering a lot today”he laments.
The entrepreneur is particularly worried about his employees in the city of Mariupol, from whom he says he received “absolutely horrible messages” about the situation there. “Today, there is no more electricity in the city. They are pounded, assures Jean Roche. We are already almost in the 3rd World War for me, it is inadmissible” . The boss of BETEN International says he is “mobilized from 6 in the morning until midnight, one hour in the evening to support morally” his colleagues on site, and “know what exactly is going on”.
This entrepreneur explains that he “lost everything” of its activity developed for 30 years in Ukraine. “All the projects are obviously stopped because we can no longer work at allhe explains. My collaborators are either holed up in shelters to protect themselves, or on the roads like my accountant, who is desperately trying to reach Moldova. I’ll follow her all night until curfew. Afterwards, I give him directions to go back to friends and hide at night, to take shelter and rest.
“Crossing Ukraine today is an obstacle courseconcludes Jean Roche. We hope that we will stop this massacre.”