Dad who took family from Leeds to Ukraine for skiing holiday could be drafted in to fight Russians

• Tymofii Dmytrenko told Katy Rickitt he is considered by the army as the equivalent of a "reserve" soldier because of training he did at university

A father-of-two who left his home in Leeds to go skiing with his family in Ukraine says he may be called up to fight the Russian invasion.

Tymofii Dmytrenko, 39, has been forced to remain in the country – where he is from – under martial law after his family managed to leave.

He is now facing the prospect of being forced to take up arms to aid the Ukrainian resistance.

In a post on Twitter he wrote: "I am not a military guy. I don’t want to go to war. But I won’t have a choice."

Mr Dmytrenko, who works for the law firm DLA Piper in Leeds, flew to Ukraine with his wife and two children on 18 February – days before the Russian invasion.

They had not begun their skiing break and were in Kyiv when troops crossed the border on 24 February.

He said: "I woke up at 5am that day. I checked my phone and saw the urgent news saying Putin had invaded. I was shocked. I knew the war had started and I did not know what to do."

The family left the Ukrainian capital that day and were taken by a family friend to the Slovakian border.

Mr Dmytrenko's wife, Iryna, and two children were able to cross into Slovakia, but as a male Ukrainian national of fighting age, he was forced to stay under martial law.

He said: "It was the worst experience of my life.

"They left on 25 February when I put them on a bus. It was horrible. We all cried. My boy is a special character and he never cries. When I told him they needed to flee, he started crying.

"He asked for my hat and I put it on his head. Every time they have called, he has been wearing it. The main thing is they are safe now."

Mr Dmytrenko completed military training at university in Ukraine and could be considered by the army as the equivalent of a "reserve" soldier. But he says he does not know how to fire a gun.

He must return to the military registration office later this week to be told whether he is expected to serve.

He added: "They might send me back or they might tell me they need me now. I am trying to understand this new situation. I am quite nervous.

"Putin is bombing a peaceful country. He is shelling the large cities and forcing people to flee - but he did not expect the resistance.

"Our army is one of the strongest in the world. What they are doing is amazing."