Expat teacher escapes Ukrainian bunker for Moldova

Teacher Harry Richardson managed to get on a bus to Moldova with wife Alina and stepchildren

A British man forced to shelter with his wife and stepchildren in a basement in Ukraine said they had escaped the country into neighbouring Moldova.

Harry Richardson, a teacher from Leek, Staffordshire, moved to Ukraine three years ago after marrying Alina.

The couple had been sheltering with Alina's daughter and grandson in a university basement, but all managed to get on a bus to the border.

He said he felt "a little bit guilty" at leaving others behind.

More than one million civilians have fled Ukraine because of the Russian invasion, according to the United Nations (UN), with more than 97,000 fleeing to Moldova.

During the "difficult" journey from Uman, in the Cherkasy Oblast region, the bus was stopped 18 times at road blocks by soldiers and police, he said.

"It was all very last-minute," he explained of the journey organised by contacts in the country.

"We had to leave many things behind that were of sentimental value that had been in our family for years and years.

"We put in some clothes, some odds and ends and we went. All we have to our names, that we can lay our hands on, are a suitcase and two or three bags."

"When we left, to be truthful, I left with a certain amount of sadness because I had in part become a mouth for the people I lived and worked with - and I felt a little bit guilty leaving them.

"But I want to carry on with the message of what it's like - even when I'm back in England - I want to carry on drawing people's attention to the horror of what is being experienced."

More than one million civilians have left Ukraine since the Russian invation

Mr Richardson said he had never experienced "kindness like it," since arriving in Moldova on Wednesday.

• Civilians trapped as Russia bombards southern city

• Is the UK doing enough to help refugees?

• Where have the million Ukrainian refugees gone?

"It's nice not to be woken up in the middle of the night by a siren, it's peaceful, it's quiet and the people smile, and it's really friendly," he added.

"There is a fear that Moldova will be next, that if the Russians continue to advance and they capture Ukraine it's just a small step away, so there's a great deal of fear here at the same time."

He said the family now face a wait to see if they will all be issued visas to enter the UK by the Home Office.

"My wife won't be a problem, because she's married to a UK citizen, but it's an issue with her daughter and grandson," he said.

"Her daughter is dependent upon us, so hopefully the Home Office will understand the situation. We are very much on edge at the moment because we're waiting to hear from them."