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British teacher who traveled to Ukraine to save wife and baby son says he's staying to help get others out
By Yael Halon
Published March 01, 2022
A British teacher who embarked on a one-man rescue mission to Ukraine this week to bring his wife and two-year-old son to safety told Fox News that he plans to stay in the country to take up arms or help get other women and children across the border.
Ian Umney, an English teacher in Manchester, quit his job and began strategizing after receiving the dreaded phone call from his wife informing him that Russia had invaded the country last week.
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"I was awoken early by my wife who called me and said Russia had invaded and they dropped bombs," Umney, 28, told "America Reports" on Tuesday. "It was the single, most scariest moment of my life. My heart sank, and I just knew I had to get here. So my family took a few days to calm me down and I worked out a plan, I bought some kits and it took me about two days to get here, but I’m here now."
Ukrainian Americans protest outside the White House, call on the U.S. to do more to help Ukraine (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)
Umney and his family live in Nikopol, a town just 155 miles northeast of Kherson, where Russian forces are currently fighting.
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"Within their next move they will come and take this city, so we need to make a decision very quickly," Umney explained. "We plan to go on the train, and then I have some contacts already working in the northwest of the country traveling, ferrying people to the border. I will give them a call and we will go with them. When they get to Poland, they will be met by my mother, who will then take them to safety."
Several families throughout Ukraine have been torn apart since last Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin's forces continue to push their way into Ukraine in an all-out assault on the country.
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Heart-wrenching farewells of fathers forced to say goodbyes to their children as they send them away from the danger and chaos of war have been documented in dramatic footage and photos, tugging at the hearts of people across the world.
People take shelter at a building basement while the sirens sound, announcing new attacks in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti))
Umney said he has made the choice to stay behind once his family is safely evacuated, and join the resistance on the ground there, "should I need to."
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"I want to get them out as soon as possible, as soon as it's safe…but then I will stay and either continue to help women and children get to the border, or myself, take up arms and defend Ukraine should I need to."
https://www.foxnews.com/media/british-teacher-ukraine-wife-baby-help-get-others-out