Ukraine: Brighton man and family who fled Kyiv arrive in UK

Dan Baker and his wife Victoria have reached the safety of Brighton

A man who fled Kyiv with his Ukrainian family has now reached the safety of his relatives in East Sussex.

Dan Baker had been living in the Ukrainian capital for five years with his wife Victoria and his step-daughter Veronica.

After initially vowing to stay, Mr Baker left amid growing safety concerns as Russian forces continued their attacks on the city.

They are now safe in the UK, camping in his parents' living room in Brighton.

Mr Baker said their journey from Kyiv to Krakow in Poland took five days, with 43 hours spent driving in a car crammed with their possessions.

War in Ukraine: More coverage

• LIVE: Latest updates from Ukraine

• SURVIVAL: 'They won't tell me how many bullets were in me'

• SHOOTING: Does video show Ukrainian war crime?

• READ MORE: Full coverage of the crisis

Mr Baker told BBC Radio Sussex: "It's literally what we could fit in, with a small gap so I could see through the windscreen. We could only bring one bag each on the plane, so we've still got lots of stuff in a car in Poland.

"We were just staying ahead of the game and that gave us power to keep going.

"I had a mission to get my family safe, so I don't think I could allow myself to have any doubts. Every kilometre I put behind us was another kilometre closer to safety."

Mr Baker said his immediate priority was to provide for his family.

"We want to return to Kyiv, of course, but we don't know how long it's going to be, so I need to find a job, I need to find housing, I need to find schooling for my daughter.

"At the moment we're in my parents' front room, Veronica's on the sofa, Victoria's on a camp bed and I'm on the floor."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].