A Liverpool student has travelled to Ukraine to help refugees fleeing the war-torn nation.
Mike Wysocky, 37, who is originally from Krapkowice in Poland, studies Drama and Creative Writing at Liverpool Hope University.
His partner, Alex Petrov, 25, is from Lviv - a Ukrainian city around 50 miles from the border with Poland.
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Though Lviv, found in western Ukraine, has not yet come under attack from Russian bombs, it has become a key city in the country's response to Russia's invasion.
A number of western nations moved their embassies from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to Lviv after Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on February 24.
The city is currently supporting hundreds of thousands of people hoping to flee Ukraine to Poland imminently, while its position in relation to Kyiv has led to it becoming a supply base on the main corridor to the frontline.
With the threat of conscription to the Ukrainian army hanging over Alex, he and Mike have found themselves helping to coordinate the movement of refugees who are desperate to flee Ukraine.
About his journey to Lviv, Mike said: “I had no choice - I had to come here to help Alex. Unfortunately just hours after I got here the Army announced mobilisation, so no man aged between 18 and 60 can leave Ukraine, for now.
“Until this changes, or until the end of the war, I’m going to be by Alex’s side - and also by the side of everyone here in Ukraine.”
Though Lviv has not yet been attacked by the Russian military, nearby towns have.
As a result, Mike is working at nearby bus and train stations in an attempt get as many people on transport into Poland as possible, often getting just a few hours of sleep each night.
Mike, who is also a science fiction writer and author of the novel 'Lux Aeterna', says the city of Lviv is braced for attack.
He adds: “We’re waiting for the darkest scenario. Putin is going to try to cut off Kyiv, and to do that he’s going to have to cut off the main corridor of supply, which is through Lviv, the city where I am now.
“We’ve had days where the air raid sirens have rung out across the city.
“I’ve been helping to coordinate the movements of refugees. We started with just a few hundred on the first day I was here. But that’s just a fraction of what’s going on now, as we send around 1,500 people to Poland each day. There’s a gigantic queue for the train which is four people deep and stretches for a mile out of the station.
“There are more than 100 volunteers here, swapping shifts day and night, 24 hours per day. We have people coming from all over Ukraine to Lviv, because it’s currently the safest city.
“It’s really hard. A couple of nights ago, we had 250 children from an orphanage arrive, plus all the people from the train station and bus station. It took 30 buses and 30 private vans to get everyone out of Lviv.
“And the word ‘suffer’ holds a completely new meaning for me now. It’s devastating to see. I broke down yesterday at the reality of everything but it’s something you just have to deal with otherwise I’m useless to help the people here.
“I’m feeling strong and I have the support of those around me.”
Mike and Alex are set to travel to the Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk in the coming days as they attempt to get another group of friends to safety.
Speaking of the situation he finds himself in, Mike says: “Am I scared? No, I’m not. Not at all. The only thing I’m scared of is wasps and hornets, and it’s cold right now so frankly I’m fine!
“This is just something that I had to do, and as long as Alex is safe, I’m happy. And as long as all of these people are reaching the Polish border, then I’m happy.
“I wait every day for the messages telling me, ‘I’m here, Mike, we made it. I’m with friends and family’. That’s all I need. Then it’s on to the next people who approach us.
“I always expected the situation to escalate rapidly in Ukraine. Look at the history books and you’ll see how Poland was invaded in 1939 - and believe me, I’ve been to the holocaust museums.
“I’m telling everyone here we need to be organised and we need to be prepared for what comes next.”
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