Gromont aid worker: War in Ukraine is like 'armageddon'
Michael Betoin spent four months over there working for a charity
Last updated 6th Mar 2023
A Gromont man says the war in Ukraine is like 'armageddon' after spending four months there.
Michael Betoin works for Turbota, a charity which sends aid to help babies and children in Kharkiv.
He said: "I have a background where I've been fairily fearless. I did some military when I was younger and I'm ex-police as well. I've got a lot of experience in driving, in working for myself and the kind of skills that you need to think on your feet. I didn't really have any fear of going out there because I think the bigger picture was that if we can help, we do help.
"We were having big problems with vehicles so I came back to Yorkshire, started a fundraiser and we managed to get £16,000. We bought a mini-bus filled with baby food and medical supplies. I drove it all the way to Kharkiv, 2,100 miles, and we donated it to them and now the mini-bus is running everyday.
"An apartment across from mine was hit by a missile at 3am. We can hear them. The first week I was there we were hit around 20 times in and around the city centre. There's no military target, they just send them into the city but you don't get the scale of what happens out there.
"We drove through endless numbers of villages where every house had been destroyed and people tell us. A tank came to the village, sat in the middle of it and systematically just blew every house up for no reason. There's vehicles overturned by the road. It's like armageddon. It really is a bigger disaster than anybody really gets the scale of.
"This is something that I want to be on the right side in history. When this is all over and Ukraine has victory, I want to say I've had a small part in that somehow. There's a lot of morale involved and knowing we're standing with them is massive for them. Soldiers will hug you, shake your hand and so will the police. Everybody smiles when they know you're British.
"It's difficult out there. The soldiers have been fighting non-stop for a year. They need our help and we've got to keep giving it all the time. Even if it ends today, we've got to keep helping Ukraine tomorrow to make sure it stays on its feet. It's a beautiful country, it's cultural and has a rich history."