An English teacher who ignored UK Government advice and chose to remain in Ukraine with his partner said he was woken up by the sound of bombs being dropped.
In an interview on Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning, February 24, English Teacher Harry Lee spoke of his decision to remain in Ukraine, despite Russia's ongoing invasion.
The UK Government has currently advised British citizens to leave the country.
Follow live updates of Russia's invasion of Ukraine here
He spoke of how he was woken on Thursday morning after hearing the bombing in Kharkiv.
He said: "The bombing woke us up this morning. We weren't really sure what it was.
"We thought it could have been a truck but then we went to the balcony and saw flashes in the background.
"You could hear a distant rumble and there was one which slightly shook the building.
"People are definitely in a different mindset here than they were the other day."
When asked by presenter Ben Shepherd what it was like waking up 'inside a warzone', the English teacher added 'it's not a nice feeling.'
He added: "We have packed things, we have suitcases packed and we keep the car with a full tank.
"We are now staying on the ground floor if we have to get out quickly.
"It is something we have thought about, we could leave the apartment in five minutes.
"The queues are terrible for shopping and petrol, even worse than during the pandemic in England."
It comes after explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other major cities, following Vladimir Putin’s announcement that a military operation had begun.
The Russian president announced the action during a televised address early on Thursday morning, saying the move was a response to threats from Ukraine.
He said Russia does not have a goal to occupy Ukraine, but the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime”.
He also warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen”.
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, said that Russia has launched a “full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.
Mr Kuleba said that Ukraine would defend itself against the Russian aggression “and will win”.
