A former employee of Orkney Islands Council sheltering in a village south of Kyiv has said he can see missiles flying overhead from the garden.
Ian Ward has reassured his colleagues on the island that he and his wife Svetlana are safe for now, although he is stuck on the wrong side of a major river to escape to the country’s western border.
The pair fled their home of Brovary on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital on February 24, after being woken in the early hours of the morning by explosions that Mr Ward believes were targeted at the nearby international airport.
He said: “We remained in our apartment on Thursday night, but it was sleepless with the rumble of tanks and artillery columns moving north to Chernigiv to defend the city.
“We were urged to seek air raid shelter at about 03.30. On Friday we decided to leave the apartment and we drove to where we are now, we were stopped by armed police for document checks and passed troop carriers and columns of artillery.”
They arrived in the private village, which is protected by security gates, to stay with family – but Mr Ward said they are now effectively “housebound”.
He continued: “We are on the wrong bank of the Dnipro to drive to the border.
“There are big explosions in the distance from time to time. This morning while I was in the garden a missile flew overhead.”
Tragic news
On Thursday morning, the family learned that sad news that a friend had died, although they do not yet know the circumstances of his death.
Mr Ward said: “He was a fine man. What I have witnessed is appalling, personally I don’t know what the future holds.
“My greatest fears are for the people of Ukraine, the fine cities and beautiful countryside. I fear that the current situation may escalate to other countries and affect the wider world.”
The home still has internet, electricity and amenities, although there is no shower.
Mr Ward took early retirement in 2019, and settled in Brovary after working as a leisure assistant at Kirkwall Grammar School Sports Centre, night shift at Tesco and a senior meat hygiene inspector for the Food Standards Agency at Orkney Meat.
He got in touch with the council to plea for the stoppage of the Russian tanker NS Champion, which was due to arrive at the island’s Flotta oil terminal on Tuesday.
After intervention by the Scottish and UK Government, the tanker was not allowed to dock and Russian vessels were blocked from all British ports – with the local authority describing Mr Ward as “delighted” by the result.
He said: “I know Ukraine would seem quite distant and vague to a lot of people in the UK until recent events.
“It is a progressive country, with a great history. There have been great improvements in infrastructure over recent years, some of the shopping malls and supermarkets rival or surpass those in the UK.
“This is a modern country.”
He added: “I hope for a better future for the world. What Putin has done is totally shocking in 2022, it is irresponsible and inhumane.”
