British teacher brings his Ukrainian family back to UK from Kyiv

British teacher, 41, prepares to bring his Ukrainian wife and 12-year-old stepdaughter back to UK after they dodged Russian cruise missiles and bombs to escape war

• Dan Baker has been living with wife Victoria and stepdaughter Veronica in Kyiv
• They were sheltering in the basement of the school they ran in the capital
• The family eventually decided to flee, narrowly avoiding airstrikes on the journey

A British teacher has been forced to flee his Kyiv home with his Ukrainian family and is preparing to fly to the UK after dodging Russian airstrikes.

Dan Baker, 41, from Brighton, had lived in the capital with his wife Victoria, 34, and his stepdaughter Veronica, 12, for five years. 

He had initially vowed to stay put in Kyiv despite the constant blaring of air raid sirens and attacks on residential buildings, but decided to leave after hearing reports of Russian soldiers ‘raping’ Ukrainian women. 

Dan Baker, 41, from Brighton, had lived in Kyiv with his wife Victoria, 34, and his stepdaughter Veronica, 12, for five years

After 10 days they fled westwards from the city in their car, joining millions of others desperate to avoid Russian bombs, which had already begun to fall on the capital.

The family, together with cat Pumpkin, had all been staying in the school they run, in the basement of a brick building.

The family had two near misses with Russian bombs on the way to Lviv, and narrowly missed a Russian cruise missile strike on Vinnytsia.

After 16 days – and nearly 500 miles – negotiating queues of vehicles waiting for petrol, food and water, they crossed into Poland, arriving in Krakow shortly afterwards.

Now, 22 days after the first air raid sirens on February 26, they are booked onto a flight back to the UK at the weekend, and will be staying with Mr Baker’s family in his native Brighton.

But Pumpkin the cat – who has become a star of the family’s daily updates on YouTube – will have to stay behind, because of two-week travel quarantine requirements.

The family, together with cat Pumpkin, had all been staying in the school they run, in the basement of a brick building

Mr Baker told The Northern Echo: ‘Since fleeing the warzone and western Ukraine there have been a lot more positives than negatives.’

He described swapping the nerves and anxiety of travel across Ukraine for the peaceful Polish city of Krakow.

‘It’s a beautiful city, we’ve had beautiful weather, we’ve been busy networking,’ he said.

‘Veronica has started selling her artwork. Yesterday, she made about £200. It’s crazy, it’s more than I get paid.’

He added the family had used the last of their savings and were now crowdfunding their living and travel expense.

‘We used the last of our money to pay for the last five nights of accommodation so we’ve started a crowdfunder, to keep the wolf from the door.’

The family avoided having to apply for visas during the conflict as they were already booked to come to England for Mr Baker’s brother’s wedding, in April.

After 16 days – and nearly 500 miles – negotiating queues of vehicles waiting for petrol, food and water, they crossed into Poland 

Asked what the long-term plan was on his return to the UK, Mr Baker said: ‘We’ll play it by ear.’

He added: ‘I expect in those two weeks after we arrive in England, we will have that time to think about the future.

‘We haven’t really had that time, I’ve been thinking instinctively, rather than analytically.’

‘Yesterday I told my parents and brothers I had booked my flight, and they were very happy and all of them said “we’ll come and pick you up from the airport”.

‘I said “I’ve got my family from Kyiv to here, you can’t take the last 20 miles from me”.

‘It would be like someone else chucking the Ring in the fires of Mordor, after Frodo carried it all that way.

‘So we’re going to get a bus, from the airport to Brighton.’

Meanwhile, the family is saying a temporary farewell to Pumpkin, who is off to stay in her quarantine accommodation on Thursday.

‘They say cats have nine lives,’ he said. ‘I think we’ve used about eight of ours on this journey,’ he said.

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