A British student has travelled to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and is prepared to lose a "limb or two".?Miles Routledge, who had to be evacuated from Afghanistan when the Taliban seized control of Kabul last year, has now made the trip down to Ukraine.?
Routledge, a self-confessed 'disaster tourist', said he began his trip to the war-torn country on Friday, February 25, less than a day after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Daily Star reported.?
He entered Ukraine via the last train from Poland and claims his documents were not checked, instantly being allowed entry to the country.??
"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,"?he told?Daily Star, from a bomb shelter underneath a hotel.? ?
Routledgeclaims he was worried ahead of his visit to the European war zone as he wasn't sure he would be allowed to enter the country.?
"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," he said.?
He went on to explain the situation in the country, saying:?"I've seen a dog with basically half its head missing but that was in the northern bit when I went exploring.?I'm not sure what happened there, if something had popped off or if it was Russian soldiers."
Despite finding shelter in a hotel, he says: "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 till Monday so people are not too sure what to make of it."
"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 continued.?
Routledge has set up online donation websites and said he will use the funds raised to help locals get supplies. He also claims there are veterans setting up field hospitals in safe houses in case the city becomes completely occupied.??
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