Irish photographer in Ukraine lay in bed shaking as Russian assault started

An Irish photographer living in Ukraine has told how he lay in bed shaking as the Russian assault on the country began.

Bradley Stafford, 29, originally from Wexford, is currently in the city of Rivne, in the west of Ukraine, after leaving his home in Kyiv ahead of the beginning of the invasion.

Mr Stafford first moved to Ukraine in 2017 after visiting the country while travelling. He said he fell in love with the country and married Anastasiia last year.

“We usually live in Kyiv, but we took the decision almost three weeks ago to leave Kyiv, because we had heard the reports it would be a target," he said.

“It did rattle us quite a bit, but it was all just noise at that stage.

“I decided to leave Kyiv and go to my wife’s mum’s house in Rivne, which is about 300km west.

“Thankfully, nothing has happened here yet.”

Mr Stafford said he was awake all night watching reports of the beginning of the Russian assault.

He said: “I have been going on Twitter to see what was going on. This morning just about 3am we started to see a number of reports saying it was going to be happening soon.

“Shortly after that Ukrainian air space closed.

“I knew it was getting pretty serious. At about 4.40am I started to hear what sounded like fighter jets overhead. I got out of bed and went to the balcony.

“I thought it was the Russians at first coming from Belarus, but I think they may have been from a Ukrainian facility nearby.

“More and more reports started to come in that there were explosions in Kyiv. For the next hour and a half I just lay in bed shaking.”

Mr Stafford said he expects that the Russians will target Rivne and he will have to make a decision about whether to attempt to leave the country.

He said: “I am in a city that is not my home.

“Life has already had this upheaval over the last few weeks, but then we go out into town, it seems so normal. There has been no panic.

“Even today we went down to the shop. There was a queue at the ATM but everyone was calm, people were walking their dogs.

“A lot of people probably didn’t think it was going to happen. I don’t know if anyone thought it was going to be like this.”

He added: “In an ideal world I would love to get out with my family, but none of them wants to leave, my wife doesn’t want to leave her family.

“I said to my wife this morning maybe we should go to the border.

“I am expecting something to happen with the Russians in Rivne, I don’t think they will leave any of the cities untouched.

“If something was to happen here I think that might change our mind.”