ALTONA, Hamburg — A man from Elsah, Illinois, and his Ukrainian wife are together again after separating to flee the country.
Ryan and Anastasia Baird have a home nearby the center of Kyiv, one of the places bombs went off as Russia attacked the county
“A week doesn't sound like a long time but given the circumstances, it just felt like an eternity. Honestly, when I saw Anastasia for the first time when she came to Poland, it was just a weight off my shoulder," Ryan said.
When the conflict started, Anastasia sent her husband to the Poland border.
"It was very important to make sure that he is not in Ukraine because he doesn't speak any Russian, so I was worried about that," she said.
He went to Lviv, which is more than 40 miles from Ukraine's border with Poland. The journey by foot into the neighboring country took 27 hours.
After taking refuge with a friend's family, Anastasia eventually also made it to Poland.
She described the experience of 12 hours on a train with droves of women and their children.
“I saw tears in their eyes as they were leaving their families (and) husbands. Little children were leaving their fathers. It's actually very sad,” Anastasia said.
The couple reunited in the Altona district of Hamburg, Germany, but they're still worried about Anastasia's family back in Sumy, with has seen ongoing shelling by the Russian army
"There's no gas, no water (and) no heating because they bombed the stations," she said.
The couple made clear their reunion was bittersweet.
"We feel relieved that we're together, but it's hard to rejoice in our safety because so many aren't," Ryan said.
"I want peace. I want our country to be free,” Anastasia continued.
The couple has been waiting on Anastasia's visa so they can get to the United States.
Ryan said he was anticipating showing his wife what St. Louis and the Metro East have to offer once they arrive.