A pair of Scottish parents returned home from their holiday to discover that their son had headed off to join the fighting in Ukraine.
35-year-old Adam Ennis – from Biggar in South Lanarkshire – was supposed to be picking his parents up from the airport, but never showed up because he’s set off to defend the streets of Kyiv against Russian invasion.
His dad Brian had been in Thailand for the past three months with his wife and daughter before returning to the shock news that his son had gone.
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He told The Independent: “Adam was due to pick us up at the airport, but his friend picked us up instead.
“His friend wasn’t going to say anything until Adam spoke to us. So, we weren’t aware until he phoned us that evening. He was already in Ukraine at a camp.”
Brian Ennis added: “As any parents, you never want to see a loved one in any danger, and it has caused us a lot of anxious nights.”
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Adam has no military experience to speak of, but his dad said that he has experience with handling weapons and is a ‘crack shot’.
Of course, Brian is worried about his son’s safety as he’s obviously just entered a warzone, but he’s also proud that his son has decided to join the fight.
He said: “We are worried, but he has done it for the right reasons. He hasn’t done it for glory, he is not silly.
“He is a level-headed person and when he got there, he said he had no regrets.”
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Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned Scots wishing to travel to Ukraine to ‘think carefully about what we can do to support Ukraine that is actually helpful and meaningful.’
Sturgeon has previously stated that she would not encourage anyone without military experience to head off to Ukraine to join in the fighting.
The UK’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has also told Britons not to travel over to Ukraine as the situation is – obviously – ‘very dangerous’ and could lead to their death.
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Wallace said that there are ‘better ways to contribute to the security of Ukraine’.
Still, garage-owner Ennis has travelled and says he’s willing to give his own life for the cause.
He said: “I’m very aware that the city will soon be totally encircled but I am here until Putin is defeated.
“I know there is a serious chance that I will be killed but I made the decision to come as a matter of conscience.
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“I came here to protect the innocent and to help them in a battle against evil."
“In my opinion if Putin was not met with strong resistance here then this could snowball into something much larger and has the potential to be the start of World War Three and could be a threat to us all.
“Morale is good with both us international boys and the Ukrainian people.
“We are united and committed to the cause.
“It's heartbreaking some of the things I have seen out here, I have lost friends but I am happy with my choice to be part of this fight against tyranny.”
Topics: UK News, Russia, Ukraine, World News, Vladimir Putin
Tom Wood