WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Finally, on his way to safety. A Wichita native living in Ukraine escaped his home on Wednesday as it became the scene of a battlefield.
In the past week, Mickey Cesar has seen fighter jets in the skies and the sounds of explosions right outside his bedroom window. A reality he didn’t see happening just seven days ago.
On Feb. 23, Cesar told KSN, “I worked today; I’m going to work tomorrow, and I’ll go to work the day after that, God willing.”
Since our initial interview with Cesar, the world this English teacher living abroad knew and loved was turned upside down.
For the past five days, KSN has been in contact daily with Cesar as he watched the Russian invasion play out and his friends join the fight. KSN tried several times to schedule an interview, but there was no time as mickey put his life on the line, venturing out of his apartment in hopes of fleeing Kyiv.
Cesar’s sister, Marta Argumedo, has had to watch the past week unfold from her home in San Antonio.
“I was anxious to hear from him about what his details were,” Argumedo explained. “He said, ‘I have some good details, but I’ll tell you later.’ I think he wanted me not to worry.”
Cesar found his way to a train station but was delayed more than 10 hours. Once he was able to board late Wednesday night, he nearly didn’t make it out.
Cesar messaged KSN saying that once he was onboard, two explosions occurred nearby as the train waited to leave the station. But finally, the train departed for western Ukraine, away from the front line of a war.
“We’re very, very relieved and still holding our breath at the same time,” added Argumedo. “He’s so much closer now, and he’s out of the line of fire, so we’re very happy.”
Cesar’s birthday is coming up on Friday. His sister says she’s hopeful he’ll be able to spend it in a safe place, far away from a warzone.
