Man drives 1,700 miles to Ukraine to save mother-in-law from Russia invasion in two-week rescue mission

A Ukrainian grandmother is “settling in well” in a spare room in Cheshire after her British son-in-law spent almost two weeks rescuing her following the Russian invasion.

Michael Felton, 61, from Ellesmere Port, drove more than 1,700 miles to bring his children’s 83-year-old grandmother to safety in the UK after her home came under fire during Russian air strikes. Mr Felton said it took “some coercion” to convince his Ukrainian wife’s mother Nadia, known as Babulya to her family, to leave her home in Kharkiv, north-east Ukraine, after Russia began shelling the city.

“She’s pretty comfortable and happy now, I go over and put a Russian-speaking comedy show on for her that likes to watch,” he told the PA news agency. "I haven’t asked her about the war, mainly because I don’t want to make her think about it any more.

READ MORE: Free parking for NHS staff to end on Friday, Sajid Javid announces

“She’s not looking sad or tearful, or wanting to talk about what’s happened… it’s almost like she’s just accepting it for whatever it is. I would much sooner let her be content, sit and watch her shows, have a laugh, eat food, chat and be comfortable.”

Mr Felton said his wife of 15 years, who now lives in Thailand, has spent “most of her time in tears” after her elderly mother had been “prepared to die in her own home if necessary”. He said the “frail” pensioner had been living alone and removing her hearing aids at night to block out the sound of Russian bombs.

Nadia, who can only speak Russian, eventually managed to escape Kharkiv on a bus with the young grandson of a family friend and her miniature Yorkshire terrier, called Ken. She suffered a “horrible” fall while travelling and was left with bruises across her face before she