A British teacher who travelled to Ukraine to be with his wife and son has revealed he is preparing Molotov cocktails as Russian forces close in. You can hear about his journey below:
Merseyside man Ian Umney quit his job as an English teacher and made his way to Manchester airport on Sunday (27 February), after his Ukrainian wife Nelia told him the Russians had started bombing on orders from Vladimir Putin.
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Ian travelled to Krakow in Poland before travelling to the Ukrainian border, after which he caught a train from Lviv to Nikopol, in south-eastern Ukraine.
The 28-year-old has been keeping followers updated on his journey with posts on Telegram, confirming that he has been reunited with his wife and two-year-old son.
He has experienced both air raid sirens and time spent in bomb shelters in the short time he has been in the country.
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The day after arriving in Ukraine, Ian learned that Russians appeared 'poised and ready to come over' into the city, prompting him and his family to 'work out a plan to get away', which he said had to be done 'as soon as safely possible'.
He told LADbible: "We need to get gone; if they come here before then Russians are gonna lose their lives in this city as well."
Ian began gathering the materials needed to make Molotov cocktails to help defend Ukraine, noting that 'all of the bottles in the shops, all of the alcohol is gone, so it seems like everyone in Ukraine had a massive bender one day, emptied the bottles and then used it for Molotov'.
He continued: "I've got what I can here... I'm going to be making them tonight and hopefully I don't have to use them, but it seems like it's going to be heading that way... I am ready to defend if I have to, and it looks like I will."
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The explosive Molotov cocktails, which can be made using gasoline and cloth, have been used by a number of Ukrainians as they defend their country against the invasion.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has encouraged some residents to 'Make Molotov cocktails, neutralise the occupier' in a post on Twitter, The Independent reports.
In an update shared with LADbible today (2 March), Ian said the situation had since 'escalated' to the point that Russians were closing in on the area where he and his family are located, with the threat proving so severe the teacher started gathering what he needed for the Molotov cocktails, saying 'it does look like I'll be standing off here'.
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He added: "I don't think we're going to be able to make it out of the city before the Russians attack, so it does look like some of them are gonna die here."
Ian and Nelia married after meeting in 2016, but Ian had to return to the UK for work. Prior to the invasion, he had plans to apply for a partner visa for his wife so they could live together in the UK.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Politics, World News
Emily Brown