Expat teacher worries what will be left of Kyiv after fleeing capital

A British man working as a teacher in Ukraine, has said it is "gut-wrenching" not knowing what will be left of Kyiv when he returns.

Adam Pate, from Tamworth, and his family fled the capital last week as Russian missiles started to land.

He said he would "never forget" the moment until the day he died.

The family are currently taking refuge in the countryside and Mr Pate described scenes of people in the area helping to equip Ukrainian troops.

He moved to the country in 2010 to teach and is now married with two young children.

Recalling the moment a Russian missile hit Kyiv airport, he told BBC Radio WM "the sky lit up" as each missile went off, adding that was the moment "we knew war had begun".

The family had been preparing documents and clothes ahead of Russia's attack on the city and when the explosions started he and his wife gathered their children and ran to a safe room in the centre of the house.

"We just waited there, the kids were upset, we were upset," said Mr Pate.

"We were doing our best to try and keep them calm and to try and make them feel safe until these attacks stopped."

As soon as it was safe to do so, they packed their car.

"I called my dad - I said you're going to see it on the news very soon but we're OK, we're going and I'll call you when I get there," said Mr Pate.

He added he had been teaching children just a day before the missile attacks on Kyiv and had no idea whether they were OK.

Speaking to the BBC from the Ukrainian countryside, Mr Pate described people making camouflaged gear for the military.

"Hopefully with everyone's support back home, we will be victorious in this," Mr Pate said.

"As we say, they can kill Ukrainians but they cannot kill Ukraine. The Ukrainian soul is a powerful thing and it cannot be destroyed."

While the family settle into their new location, Mr Pate said he believed President Putin's attack on Ukraine would "get bigger".

"It won't stop with Ukraine," he said, suggesting Russia's attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Friday, showed this.

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