Ukraine: Couple land in UK after fleeing over 'kill list'

Jez Myers landed in his hometown of Manchester with Maria Romanenko

A British man and his Ukrainian partner have arrived safely in Manchester after fleeing Ukraine over fears she had been put on a Russian "kill list".

Jez Myers and Maria Romanenko, who is a journalist, travelled to Kyiv on the eve of the Russian invasion and said they had "underestimated the threat".

It took them 40 hours by car and by foot to get to Poland, before flying to Manchester after Ms Romanenko's visa was waived.

Mr Myers said he was "overjoyed".

He said: "While obviously [Maria] is unhappy about leaving her family behind and what's going on in Ukraine, she knows that she is now in a place of safety."

'Pitching in'

The couple had feared Ms Romanenko's life was as risk because of her job as a journalist.

"She can be here for a relative period of time where she can assess her options and make a decision about what she wants to do in the medium term," added Mr Myers.

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The couple, who have been together for almost two years, met up in the Polish city of Gdansk before returning to Kyiv as Ms Romanenko wanted to return.

Mr Myers said he said he did not support her decision to return to Ukraine but felt compelled to travel with her.

The morning after they arrived in Ukraine, Russian forces launched a major assault, firing missiles on cities and military targets.

Jez Myers at the pedestrian border in Shehyni, near Lviv

The couple made the decision to flee after the United States said it had "credible information" that Russian forces were creating lists of Ukrainians, which included journalists, to be killed or sent to camps.

The pair described "chaos, no control and getting pushed" at the Ukrainian border and they were separated for several hours after Ms Romanenko fainted.

They said the 40-hour journey into Poland was "horrific", and Mr Myers just "sat and cried" after they were met by volunteers offering them food and water.

Many of Ms Romanenko's family members have remained in Ukraine including her father, who has joined a local territorial defence unit.

Mr Myers, who is a business consultant, said: "He is aged 60 and has bad knees but everybody there is pitching in and doing what they can do.

"Ukraine has always had this wonderful spirit.

"This sense of pride in their country is absolutely fantastic."

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