Illinois man living in Kyiv flees to Poland, hopes to reunite with Ukrainian wife

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Illinois man living in Ukraine flees, hopes to reunite with wife
An Illinois man native to Elsah, IL escaped to Poland from Ukraine as Russia continued its attack. He hopes to reunite with his wife.

POLAND (WLS) -- A man from southern Illinois who now lives in Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife has been able to evacuate to Poland.

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"Thursday night, I heard bombing, shelling all night," said Ryan Baird. "I wasn't necessarily scared for myself, but it was just sadness for what was happening and for my friends who maybe couldn't get out."

Baird was able to hire a car and his wife was able to get one train ticket. They are hoping to reunite soon in Poland.

Baird is from Elsah, Illinois, which is near East St. Louis.