'Very scary': Glasgow dad's terror during attack in Ukraine

Diplomat Keith Allan, who is from Mount Vernon, was working at the British Embassy in Kyiv when it was temporarily evacuated as Putin’s tanks rolled into the country last February.

He said: “When I was first asked to go to Kyiv, my wife was pretty worried and said, ‘isn’t everyone leaving there?’

“My last trip out to Kyiv there were sustained attacks every night with air raids, which is frightening and tiring for everyone concerned. Usually, it’s at night so I’m in my apartment and have to find a spot under a stairwell until it passes after an hour or two.

Keith with the Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, centre, and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (Image: FCDO)

“Luckily, I’ve not had any missiles or drones land near me, but when you are travelling in and out, you see the damage and devastation caused by Russia’s barbaric military bombardment.

“It’s so shocking to see destroyed apartment blocks or shopping malls and listen to the heart-breaking stories of residents suffering the human cost of this illegal war on Ukraine.”

He added: “As a dad, it’s really difficult to hear of children disappearing and other atrocities being carried out on innocent civilians.”

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The UK Government is today (June 21) hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. More than 1000 foreign dignitaries from 61 states, NGO representatives and hundreds of business leaders and entrepreneurs are expected to attend and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will participate virtually.

The UK has committed £2.3 billion in military support to Ukraine in 2022 - more than any country other than the United States - and it has spent £220m in humanitarian assistance, including £2m to support Scottish NGO The HALO Trust.

Keith also helped establish the British Embassy in Kabul after the 9/11 attacks, and he was previously the UK’s High Commissioner to Mauritius.

He said: “Friends who were always winding me up about my ‘cushy’ job in Mauritius aren’t giving me any stick now.

"I think the gravity of the situation in Ukraine is abundantly clear to everyone.

“I served as High Commissioner to Mauritius for four years and I never got much sympathy if I moaned about having a tough day."

Keith is a football fan. (Image: FCDO)

He added: “You couldn’t get a more dramatic contrast than working in Kyiv when Ukraine is under attack.”

One of the scariest moments, says Keith, was when Iranian drones arrived.

“We hadn’t seen anything like that before and it was very scary when you could see and hear these things flying overhead,” he said.

Keith is just about to take up a new role as Deputy Ambassador to the Netherlands.

“It will be busy but my family will be happier that I’m not in danger,” he said. “When I re-established the UK Embassy in Kabul in 2002, shortly after we’d gone into Afghanistan following 9/11, there was no hot water, and we were sleeping in camp beds in the corridor in the middle of winter.

“Being in Ukraine over winter with relentless Russian attacks leading to power outages and loss of heating was also really tough. Not every posting can be to Mauritius.”

He added: “I’ll never forget the resilience and bravery of the Ukrainian people and my colleagues and look forward to celebrating with them when Ukraine secures victory.”