South Shropshire's MP shares experience of being caught in 'significant' bombing in Ukraine
Stuart Anderson was in the county's capital Kyiv last week
South Shropshire's MP Stuart Anderson has been sharing what it was like when he was caught up in a significant air strike in Ukraine.
The newly appointed Shadow Minister for War Readiness, visited Ukraine last week as part of his role as the UK representative on the Ukraine NATO Inter-Parliamentary Council and was caught in the middle of a major bombing campaign in Kyiv.
“The war continues to rage against Ukraine, and their situation is increasingly dire, he said.
"Russia are bombarding Kyiv and attempting to cut out supplies to energy, food, and water.
"I am grateful to all the military and civilian personnel that helped ensure my safety during the visit.
"I return resolved that we must do more to support the Ukrainians to help them meet the severe challenges they face over these coming months.”
He said he visited Ukraine at the same time as the ongoing peace talks were taking place in Kyiv with United States Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
A ceasefire was imposed while these talks proceeded, but once the White House envoys departed, Russia began a "fierce attack" on Ukraine.
He said it's estimated the attacks that took place on his first day in the country killed five people and injured 35.
"There wasn't an hour where we didn't come under attack"
Mr Anderson said the experience has reaffirmed a number of thing for him, including the need to support the Ukrainian people.
He said: "For the whole duration of my trip, there wasn't an hour where we didn't come under attack.
"Even like at night if you want to go to bed, you've got your full clothes on, your shoes, your ready to go.
"You've got your grab bag that has your spare rations and emergency equipment - it's mental exhausting and tiring but this is what the Ukrainian people are living through."
As well, My Anderson said he's more determined to make sure Britain is a resilient as possible and prepared for any potential threats.
"It's far more brutal there than I realised," he said.
"There's a lot of lessons that we can learn on how we prepare ourselves as a nation and how we build resilience in this country."
He added: "I will be continually talking about resilience and how the whole of society needs to come togther.
"That's one of the thing I'm going to be focussing in South Shropshire - it's a fantastic place to start because it's got the best people."
By sharing his experience since returning to the UK, Mr Anderson hopes it keeps the thought of both supporting the Ukrainian people and support each other in this country at the forefront of people's minds.