A LIFE-SAVING Southampton man who has been serving lives on the battlefields of Ukraine has described the horrors of war.

Martin Wyness was bombarded with shells at one point. In another situation, he rushed to try and save nine-year-old child from a block of flats. 

The 64-year-old travelled to the war-torn nation to train surgeons and doctors.

During this time, his ambulance was shot at while rescuing civilians.

Martin, who recently returned to his home in Southampton, said: “There were civilian drones over our ambulances and minutes later, we were getting shelled.

"Somebody was sat in a block of flats, telling the Russians where we were.”

READ MORE: Ukrainian family ends up homeless in Southampton

Daily Echo: Emergency services at the scene of a shelled block of flatsEmergency services at the scene of a shelled block of flats

In a similar incident, the father of two said: "When we were getting a nine-year-old out of a block of flats, where he lost his mother, there was a plane that came back twice to bomb us, so we had to keep scattering.

“When the plane came back, I just hid behind a pile of breeze blocks, just lay flat hoping I wouldn’t get under fire. In that situation, you find cover wherever you can.”

Martin told how he was looked at with "absolute, open hatred" in Russian-backed areas of Ukraine.

However, Ukrainian troops would often show gratitude for British aid, one even shouted: “Thank you Boris Johnson” after hearing Martin speak English.

Martin said: “Russia was targeting their own pro-Putin civilians, that’s how much they don’t care about civilians.”

Martin owns Solent Medical Skills, which runs life-saving paramedic courses. 

He originally travelled to Ukraine in February and spent time in Kyiv, Donbas and Bucha, where horrific atrocities were reported.

He made the decision to join the war effort as he wanted "to help".

His family support his quest to help the victims.

He said: “No one’s partner likes when you go risk your life, so it’s not easy but someone has to do it.”

Martin is now fundraising to buy armoured ambulances for Ukrainian paramedics, and plans to return at some point this year.

“It’s one tiny piece of the jigsaw, but when you add all of those pieces together it’s a full picture that is going to stop Putin," he added.

For more information, visit solentmedicalskills.co.uk.

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