Shropshire ex-soldier gears up for 16th visit to Ukraine as invasion second anniversary looms

Paul, who is from south Shropshire, has asked to remain anonymous as he intends to keep on travelling to the nation which was invaded by Russian forces on February 24, 2022.

Paul said he is returning soon to work with a charity feeding civilians near the frontline area.

"I have done it before," he said.

"As I am flying over, the aid I can take is limited, so I will buy some expensive - but small in size - emergency first aid items - tourniquets etcetera."

When he is in Ukraine he plans to also meet up with Nina Yevtushenko, an ex-model who swapped the catwalk to run a humanitarian charity.

He describes Nina as "the bravest woman I know" and the 26 year-old's story has been reported on by the Daily Mail.

"As sad as it sounds, during the war I found my calling,’ she told the paper.

"Every day I look for a thousand options where to find support and humanitarian aid because it helps Ukrainians survive this Hell. And every day I thank my foreign friends for their help and repeat how important it is for it not to stop.’

Paul has completed more than 15 trips, delivering humanitarian aid to the hard-hit areas in east Ukraine.

His work has taken him from Kharkiv in the the north east, to Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Nikopol, Mikoliav down to the Kherson region and on to Odesa in the south west.

Paul said that of all the trips he has done the one that sticks in his mind the most was working in the Kherson region three days after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which spans the Dnipro river, on June 6, 2023.

He says that on the Ukraine held side of the river, the homes of some 18,000 people were flooded across an area spanning around 180 square miles.

"The devastation was horrendous," he said.

"Working with a local charity, we helped provide lifesaving food and drinking water to stranded people by boat.

“It is near impossible to describe how harsh life is for these people. As if living in an area already decimated by war, the constant fear of Russian shelling or perhaps stepping onto a discarded munition was not enough, having to then contend with the massive volume of water flooding over your land would break many of us – it nearly broke me just seeing it.”

Paul has delivered much-needed vehicles to the Ukraine military, with each one rammed full of lifesaving humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, generators and water filtration equipment for a local charity supporting civilians near the front line at Zaporizhzhia.

Paul visited the war torn country in October when he received an urgent message from his Ukrainian friend, Konstantin, requesting 80 tyres for ambulances.

Working with other volunteer mechanics in Kharkiv, Konstantin provides free support from his garage, keeping emergency service vehicles on the road.

“Konstantin supports a fleet of 20 ambulances working in the region between Kharkiv and the front-line," said Paul.

"Nearly all of the 20 ambulances were running on bald tyres and, indeed, two of the ambulances were actually taken out of service because the tyres had worn through.

"With winter coming and the harsh snow and ice conditions, it would be impossible for the ambulances to literally stay on the road.”

Paul recently told the Shropshire Star why he became involved.

“When the war started, I was overwhelmed with the news of suffering of innocent people just going about their daily lives. I felt I could not just sit back and simply watch.

"Fortunately, being retired, I had the time to do something. In April 2022 I first started by making regular trips to Poland to bring refugees back to the UK.

"My first trip to Ukraine was in August 2022 where I drove in my own car to Kyiv to collect a mum, two kids and their dog who, although they had a sponsor in UK, for various reasons had no way of getting out of Ukraine.

"It was on this trip that I saw with my own eyes the human tragedy unfolding and I felt I needed to do more. With contacts I made on that trip I started collecting and delivering humanitarian aid.”

Paul added that he had been humbled by the support he has received.

A Just Giving fundraiser for Paul's trips has raised more than £4,350.

If you would like to support him you can do so by visiting the Just Giving website here.

For humanitarian aid donations you should phone aid coordinator and fundraiser Caroline on 01694 723283