‘I’m scared for my wife…the ball is in Putin’s court’: Britons with spouses stuck in Ukraine fear for their loved ones’ safety as Russian invasion looms
- Gary Smith, 53, from Newcastle, expressed worry for wife who lives in Ukraine
- Jez Myers, 44, can’t visit his Ukrainian girlfriend under Foreign Office guidance
- Those with spouses in the country have told of their fears and frustrations
Britons with spouses in Ukraine have spoken of their worry for loved ones’ safety and told of feeling ‘frustrated’ at being unable to see them as the threat of a Russian invasion looms.
British people in the country are being urged to leave immediately following updated advice from the Foreign Office on Friday evening, which said to ‘leave now while commercial means are still available’.
Gary Smith, 53, from Newcastle, met his wife Helen, 55, in 2012 and has regularly flown to and from Ukraine to visit her, but now faces an anxious wait for their reunion.
Gary Smith with his wife Helen. His wife has no plans to leave, given a visitor’s visa could take weeks to secure
Helen is Russian but has lived in Ukraine for more than 30 years, and now works there as a university lecturer.
Speaking to PA agency, Mr Smith said: ‘I’m here and she’s there, and I can’t do anything about it.
‘That’s the frustrating part – the ball is in Putin’s court.
‘I’m more worried than her, I said to her: “I’m worried for your safety.”‘
Mr Smith added that he is simple left ‘praying’ as his wife has no plans to leave, given a visitor’s visa could take weeks to secure.
‘She’s got a life there now, her life is in Kharkiv,’ Mr Smith explained.
‘I’m just praying to the big man,’ he said of the prospect of war.
‘If the Russians do invade – God forbid they do – it’ll be a long time before I see Helen.’
Helen is Russian but has lived in Ukraine for more than 30 years, and now works there as a university lecturer
Jez Myers, 44, a business consultant who has split his time between Manchester and Kyiv since 2018, cannot return to the country as planned to see his Ukrainian partner.
They will now have to face Valentine’s Day apart, and Mr Myers has told of his concern at the lack of clarity for the future.
He said: ‘I was due to fly back tomorrow morning… but it would be naïve at best to not follow the FCDO’s advice.
‘I’m worried and I’m worried for her safety.
‘We’re now spending Valentine’s Day apart, and she’s having to make decisions around contingencies…Does she go to Lviv, where it’s going to be very busy, but possibly a bit safer? Does she fly out to Poland?’
‘There’s just a lack of clear information.’
‘For a Brit, you should leave the country – and if you have a Ukrainian partner, they should apply for a visa.
‘But my partner, she’s faced with this situation (and thinking): “Well this is my country, this is my home. Do I stay and fight?”‘
Mr Myers stressed that for many Ukrainian spouses, there is more to think about beyond fleeing the country.
He added: ‘She’s going, “if I leave the country, I’m leaving behind my mum, my dad, my brother, my grandmother”.
‘There’s absolutely that helplessness felt by Ukrainians.’
Airlines today began suspending flights to Ukraine and the country’s government reportedly banned entry to Russian citizens over fears of an invasion and the threat of hit squads and saboteurs trying to enter the country.
Jez Myers, 44, a business consultant who has split his time between Manchester and Kyiv since 2018, cannot return to the country as planned to see his Ukrainian partner
Dutch carrier KLM announced it was stopping flights to and from the country until further notice, amid sensitivity in the Netherlands to potential danger in Ukrainian airspace following the 2014 shooting down of jetliner MH17 as it flew over territory held by Russia-backed rebels.
All 298 people aboard died in the disaster, including 198 Dutch citizens, while Russia was widely condemned as being responsible. Germany’s Lufthansa also said on Sunday it was considering suspending flights.
There was further upheaval yesterday as Ukrainian carrier SkyUp was forced to divert a flight to Moldova as the leasing company which owned the plane refused to let it enter Ukrainian airspace.
Airlines today began suspending flights to Ukraine. Pictured: Passengers are seen boarding a plane out of Ukraine on Sunday after foreign nations including the UK and the US warned their citizens to get out while they can
International fears of a large-scale Russian invasion now risks closing transport routes out of Ukraine. Avianews warned that Ukraine could soon become a ‘no-fly zone’ for commercial aircraft.
According to the publication, unless an agreement is made between the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure and international insurers and airlines, Ukraine will gradually be closed to air traffic.
It also emerged that remaining commercial flights to and from Ukraine face being grounded from tomorrow.
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