Ukraine: Durham driving instructor rescues girlfriend from war

Mike Farrell and Svetlana Yanyk had been a couple for 18 months

A driving instructor drove thousands of miles to rescue his girlfriend and her two children from Ukraine.

Mike Farrell travelled from County Durham to Khmelnytskyi, east of Lviv, to collect Svetlana Yanyk, 45, her 12-year-old son and daughter, 11, from the conflict-hit country.

The 60-year-old has since returned home while the group remains in the Netherlands awaiting UK visas.

His 3,400 mile (5,471 km) return journey was completed in seven days.

The couple met 18 months ago after Mr Farrell stopped in the country during a drive across Europe.

"I just said to Svetlana that I am going to come and I am going to bring you to the UK," said Mr Farrell, who is from Leadgate, near Consett.

"I started telling my pupils that you have no lessons next week."

'Very tearful'

Mr Farrell said the family were about 200 miles (321 km) east of Lviv, an area so far untouched by the Russian invasion.

"Her mother didn't want to go, and her son who is over 18 couldn't go. They were very tearful," he said.

"As soon as the air raid alarms came on you have to go down to the basement.

"I stayed there for two nights. One of them was six hours in the basement.

"The girl was quite frightened. There was a backfire of a car, and she went into her mother's arms. You can see the children panic."

Mike Farrell hopes his girlfriend and her children will be able to obtain UK visas

Ms Yanyk and her children are now waiting in a hotel after completing paperwork to receive their visas.

"I honestly thought I could just drive up to there and they would let me through and we would get into England and they would then start sorting everything out," Mr Farrell continued.

"I love the woman and I just wanted to save them. I'm no hero. It's about saving a family."

The UK government has faced criticism - including from its own MPs - over the speed and scale of its response to the refugee crisis triggered by the conflict.

It has launched two visa schemes - a family visa scheme and the Homes for Ukrainians sponsorship scheme - although certain caveats apply.