Michael Marley went from Ardrossan to Odessa on a mission called Operation Family Freedom, which took two hours to design and 10 days to complete.
The 56-year-old drove from the city of Ayrshire in his Peugeot 308 with the Ukrainian doctor’s wife Oksana, 52 years old.
They made their way through France, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Romania – sleeping in the car on the way – to rescue Anna Chichur, who was trapped in the village of Orlivka near the Russian target city. Michael said: “We felt very helpless sitting at home and I decided we had to do something.” Anna, 33, whose baby girl was born in July, had left her husband and her home in a desperate attempt to reach safety. They also brought back Anna’s six-year-old son, Leo, but left Anna’s husband – Oxana’s son – who has remained to fight. Mick Marley with his grandson Leo in the car on the way back to Scotland from Ukraine, photo from facebook page facebook.com/mick.marley (Image: Mick Marley / Facebook) Read more related articles Read more related articles Michael and Oxana spent three days on the road across Europe, sleeping in a parking lot and driving in turn, stopping at gas stations for food and water. After an emotional reunion with Anna and Leo, they headed to the Romanian border, crossing the Danube by ferry en route back to Scotland. The four stopped in Paris where they had to wait six days for a visa at a special refugee processing center before crossing the Channel Tunnel and returning to Scotland. Michael, a fire safety consultant who served for 20 years at Queen’s Own Highlanders, including tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia, said this was his biggest challenge. Oxana had visited Odessa on February 25, the day after the Russian invasion, to see her son and daughter-in-law. But he had to return to Scotland three days later, leaving them both behind. Michael said: “We were really worried about their safety, especially since Anna is pregnant and is expected in July. “On March 7, I just decided we had to go back there and take Anna and Leo to safety. “We jumped in the car and drove straight to Ukraine. “All we had were our passports and our credit cards. We bought as many clothes as we needed as we progressed. It took us three days to get to Ukraine and pick up Anna and Leo. “It was a very emotional reunion. “My wife’s son had to stay back in Odessa because martial law had been imposed. “Then we headed to Paris where we went through the visa application process. We finally got back to Ardrossan three weeks ago, on March 19th. Read more related articles Read more related articles The couple drove almost non-stop from Scotland using the various motorway networks and their satellite ship to reach Ukraine. Oksana added: “We parked behind gas stations and just slept in the car to save time and money. “We never slept for more than a few hours at a time. All we wanted to do was bring Anna and Leo to safety as quickly as possible. “We knew the situation was getting worse by the hour.” Michael said: “We found a two star hotel near the UK visa center which was very expensive. “Despite the time we spent there, we found that the system works if you follow the prescribed procedures. “Now we are at home in Ardrossan, teaching Anna and Leo the Scottish way of life and no doubt a few more obstacles to cross.” Anna was a gymnast back in Odessa and is preparing for the arrival of her second child, while Leo is going to start school in Ardrossan. Michael said Leo’s father is safe and hopes to be part of the family soon. Russian forces have been described as retreating into eastern Ukraine, but continue to target the historic Black Sea city of Odessa, home to more than a million people. Security was tightened there over the weekend and a curfew was imposed due to the threat of a rocket attack. Read more related articles Read more related articles Oksana said the last few weeks have been difficult for Anna as she has no money with her and speaks very little English. He added: “I think the authorities need to do more to help people financially when they come here from Ukraine. “Fortunately, we are able to help her as we are both at work, but we would fight to help her differently.” Michael and Oxana talked about rescuing their family on a special Day of Action for Ukraine in George Square in Glasgow, which attracted several hundred people. Organizers said the event was to celebrate Ukrainian culture and show solidarity with refugees fleeing the Ukrainian conflict and other war zones to come to Scotland. A spokeswoman said: “Our message is that all refugees are welcome here.” We also spoke with Sovenko Vasyl, 56, who moved to Glasgow 20 years ago, where he now lives with his Lithuanian wife Olga and their 10-year-old son Anton. Last week he welcomed his daughter Victoria, 32, and granddaughters Lira, 14, and Kira, eight, after fleeing Kyiv six weeks ago. With them were Alona’s bride, 34, and Dima’s son, 12, who had also escaped from the Russian capital. Both mothers and their children left Kyiv on February 24 as the Russians began bombing the city. They made it safely to the Polish city of Wroclaw, where they spent several weeks before flying to Glasgow last Friday. Sovenko said: “I’m glad I’m safe after so many weeks of worrying. “When the bombing started and the rockets started flying towards Kyiv, we knew it was right to leave. “Many normal people are dying in Ukraine. “Russian soldiers behaved like animals.” Sovenko still fears for his son Constantin, 33, who remains in the city of Uman in central Ukraine. According to the latest assessment of information by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom, Russian forces continue to hit civilian targets. 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