A British aid worker has filmed the moment he came under fire from Russian artillery as he helped evacuate Ukrainian civilians from the front line.
Pete Masters, from Hereford, has shared the incredible footage from villages being bombarded by Putin’s forces in the east of Ukraine.
In the heart-pounding video, filmed last week, Mr Masters says to the camera “just got here, and the place has been hit, artillery going off all around us” as buildings struck by Russian shells burn around him.
He then bravely searches the rubble of the smouldering destroyed homes and outbuildings for signs of survivors as his volunteer colleagues load local people onto minibuses.
Mr Masters, 55, a tattoo artist and coffee shop owner, is on his ninth trip to the war-torn region where he has been working with local churches delivering aid, food and evacuating civilians.
At times during his latest trip Mr Masters, a dad-of-four, has been just 800 metres from Russian soldiers. Together with local Ukrainian chaplain Alexander, he drives into areas being bombed by the Kremlin to collect elderly residents stranded on the front line.
But speaking to Express.co.uk Mr Masters revealed some people who have lived their whole lives in the villages refuse to leave despite the danger – and now they are being killed as the Russians advance.
He said: “Unfortunately, some of the people in one of the villages we went to didn’t want to leave, the chaplain was telling them they had to go.
“We were pleading with this babushka (a grandmother) to leave and she was just saying ‘no, no’, it was her home, and she wasn’t moving for anyone, not even the Russians.
“We got back in the van to go and couldn’t believe it, 15 minutes later the village and everyone one in it was blown to smithereens.
“I went back there two days later and there was a terrible two-metre diameter hole where a rocket or a shell had gone straight through the woman’s house.
“It’s terrifying. We did four days in a row, but we constantly change locations so as not to be ambushed. We’ve helped civilians and troops in the bunkers.”
Express.co.uk has chosen not to reveal Mr Masters’ location for security reasons, but he has been operating in the east of Ukraine as Russian forces slowly advance.
Mr Masters explained villagers on the front line were forced to live in their basements sleeping on mattresses with only rudimentary toilet facilities.
He added: “A lot of these people are very old and they don’t want to leave, and the silly thing there’s nothing left for them, there’s no shops, no running water, no sewage system, it’s not their home anymore… the Russians are on the ground.
“Another minibus in our evacuation party was actually stopped by Russian troops, unbelievably they were let go.
“It was a van full of grannies and I’m assuming they were young soldiers and they let them get away as they were speaking the same language, so that probably helped.”
Mr Masters has been able to donate medical supplies given to him by friends in Hereford and he has also been delivering bread to hungry civilians.
He added: “We’ve done bread runs, when you see people kissing bread, you know they are desperate. I tell people back in the UK don’t complain about anything, you don’t know how bad it can get.
“I do wear body armour but I’m not military, I’ve got no military experience, I don’t carry a gun. All I have is a knife which can come in very handy for all sorts of practical things on the front line.
“I’m not looking to kill anyone, I’ll free some dogs, open a can of corned beef or free up an entanglement.”
Mr Masters is still looking for donations to help with the relief effort in Ukraine where he pays for food and fuel, to donate to his cause visit this page