A HELENSBURGH man living in Ukraine who was minutes away from fleeing the country with his family has spoken of his decision to stay put.
Stuart McKenzie had his family’s bags packed and ready to drive on Sunday from the capital, Kyiv, to Poland to safety with various governments advising their citizens to leave because Russia could launch a full-scale invasion.
But Stuart’s wife Lena is Ukrainian and they would have had to leave her mother behind. Just before they were to set off, they changed their minds and decided to stay.
After 28 years living and working in Ukraine, it is home – and Stuart told the Advertiser Ukrainians are staying calm because panic only plays into the hands of Russia.
Stuart said it was an “emotional rollercoaster” and every family has different responsibilities with the lives they’ve built for themselves in the country.
“Most people who have built a life are staying here,” he said. “On the ground, it’s very calm. It’s more stressful in the UK than it is here.
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“We are working away as normal. We’re not naive to the threat, but they have been living with it for a long time.”
Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops around Ukraine after previously annexing the Crimea region in 2014 as well as provoking separatists in the Donbas region to the east.
Stuart led a march of expats in Kyiv earlier this month to protest Russia’s aggressive posturing.
On Tuesday, Russia said it was moving some of its troops back, but the UK and US expressed doubt about whether that was actually happening. Both countries said last week an invasion was “imminent”.
Stuart emigrated from Helensburgh in 1994 and runs a healthcare and natural products business with about 20 employees in Ukraine and 40 in Poland.
Stuart’s younger brother, Robert, 43, who also lives in Ukraine with his family but was not ready to leave and are also sticking it out.
The international school where Stuart’s boys Robert, 15, and Stuart, 12, study has closed as teachers and embassy staff were told to leave.
“There was panic created by people leaving embassies and that created other issues,” said Stuart. “And nothing has actually happened.
“The boys know what’s going on to a level but for them it’s not stressful. Making sure they have the internet is more important to them.
“Panic is the number one thing Russia would love. Hopefully we see a few sprouts of diplomacy. Putin could easily walk into the Donbas region - that’s more realistic to the people here.”
He added: “Ukrainians have been living with this for a long time. We have seen it happen several times before. More than 13,000 people have died in the last eight years.
“They know if we start to panic, the government could get protests against it. We have to keep working to keep calm.”
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