Skip to content

Ukraine conflict: Brighton man glad to be with 'heroes' in Kyiv

BBC Victoria and Dan BakerBBC
Dan Baker, with his wife Victoria, said people queued for the supermarket as sirens blared

A Sussex man living in Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife and step-daughter said he is glad to be among "heroes".

Dan Baker, a teacher from Brighton, has been living in the country's capital for the last five years.

His family spent the weekend sheltering in the basement of his school following a curfew being imposed.

He said: "They are the strongest nation I know and I'm glad to be here because the soldiers are heroes and are protecting us."

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A woman walks past a damaged building following the curfew being temporarily liftedAnadolu Agency via Getty Images
A woman walks past a damaged building following the curfew being temporarily lifted

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Baker said 39 hours sheltering inside had "taken its toll" but there was an "air of positivity" among the Ukrainian people.

He added: "This is day five, there's still hard work to do but we're surviving and staying strong."

The couple had planned to go to a supermarket but there "was a queue of about 1,000 people, at least 100m long" despite the "sirens blaring".

Mr Baker said: "Life goes on, life goes back to normal which is really strange to say in a huge war, but this is Ukraine.

"People have underestimated this country, and the Russians have done that to their peril."

His wife Victoria said: "Our lives have been changed but Ukrainians are strong, we will stay positive and stay until the end. We will fight."

Getty Images Ukraine and Russian officials sit on opposite sides of a tableGetty Images
Ukraine and Russian officials sit on opposite sides of a table

Russian and Ukrainian officials meet on Monday to discuss the conflict.

Ahead of the meeting, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said his country wanted an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].