WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — When Mickey Cesar last spoke with KSN, he was just days from departing on a dangerous journey across Ukraine to get out of his war-torn country.
When speaking Tuesday afternoon from the safety of Berlin, Germany, he appeared much more relaxed. A feeling that had become foreign after nearly a week of trying to escape Ukraine.
“I was on the train, five minutes before the train is supposed to leave when there are explosions,” Cesar explained. “The longest five minutes of my life was after those explosions, waiting for the train to start.”
Once Cesar was able to get out of Kyiv, he made it to Lviv in the western part of the country. From there, he went to the Ukrainian/Polish border before eventually being able to catch a ride to Berlin.
Cesar added, “Even though [the family that drove Cesar] lived in Frankfurt, Germany, they drove me all the way to my friend’s place in Berlin.”
While relieved to be in a safe environment, Cesar is also heartbroken for the place he had called home for the last decade.
“It entering a horrible phase,” said Cesar. “Because the Russians can’t beat the Ukrainian Army face to face, so now they’re starting to attack civilian populations.”
The chance of returning to Ukraine is still a possibility.
“The will of the Ukrainian people is just amazing,” he explained. “I still do have some hope of going back to Kyiv. I don’t know when exactly and how long it’s going to take.”
