A British disaster tourist who is in crisis-hit Ukraine as the Russian invasion unfolds says "if I lose a limb or two I can claim benefits".
Student Miles Routledge tweeted recently that he feels safer being in Ukraine than back home in Birmingham, having travelled there by train from Poland against British government advice.
The Loughborough University undergraduate told the Daily Star : "If I want to be cynical, I'm quite religious - I'm a Catholic. If I die, hopefully, I'll go to heaven, and if I'm wrong and it's blackness, that's not my issue anymore. If that doesn't happen and I'm alive, that's good stuff, if I lose a limb or two I can claim benefits, I guess.
"I got worried they wouldn't let me in, there was a rumour that any male may be forcefully conscripted, so I thought I'd be thrown into the army.
"If something went wrong and I landed in Ukraine and suddenly everything popped off at once, that would have been the worst-case scenario."
"The streets are completely empty, you only get the occasional person, there's a curfew of 5pm, so it's very difficult, it's the first curfew through 'til Monday so people are not too sure what to make of it," said Miles, who is sheltering in a hotel, reports BirminghamLive.
"People are being very friendly in the shelter, they're transporting mattresses around, people are handing out water. It's very nice - very good people."
He added: "If I need to get out, I'll do it on my own terms and I'll do it without any help, I don't want to be that guy that puts a drain on resources.
"If something happens, I've got some contacts, some friends that are going over and joining the military, they can help out. I'll just make my own way on foot because all transport links are cut off."
Miles, who previously said he likes to explore the "worst places in the world", asked his followers to donate in a tweet where he said the country felt safer than Birmingham.
He wrote: "So I've got veteran mates setting up field hospitals and safe houses in case of full occupation. They're fixing up locals and soldiers. This is still safer than London or Birmingham to be fair. I'm from Birmingham so I'm qualified to say this."
He previously visited Chernobyl in 2019. In 2021 he said he was evacuated out of Kabul after an "insane Afghanistan holiday".
The British Government advises against travelling to Ukraine. It said: "There are multiple reports of widespread military activity and real risk to life. We advise British nationals to leave Ukraine immediately if you judge it is safe to do so.
"Ukraine’s airspace is closed. If you need assistance as you cross a border, please contact the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)."
