Watch: Fearless mechanic rescues 180 people

It all began with a Russian artillery round that sent the house crashing down around them.

“We were buried in the basement under rubble. Aleksey told Sky News, “My son, my wife, and my mother.”

“I broke through a brick wall with a crowbar.” It was a miracle we were able to escape.”

When Russian munitions devastated the home that stood above them, trapping them underneath, Aleksey and his family were sheltering in a dark cellar on the outskirts of Mariupol.

They had relocated from their high-rise flat in Mariupol’s Cheryomushki area in the hopes of finding a safer environment away from the conflict. They were mistaken.

The family released themselves and hopped into his Soviet-era saloon vehicle, wearing only underpants and whatever else they could get their hands on. As they ran into the deep night, shells rained down all around them.

It was the start of World War I. They went to the Primorskiy part of the city, where they felt they’d be secure.

Aleksey, a former submarine engineer who now works as a car mechanic, returned to his neighbourhood the next day to find scenes of complete devastation.

Buildings were engulfed in flames. Civilians who had been injured walked about disoriented.

“Those wretched folks,” he added, “wounded, desperate individuals wandering down the road.”

“I am a guy and a human being.” “I realised I needed to save them.”

He’d gone there looking for some warm clothing. But it was individuals he returned with.

Aleksey would go on to rescue 180 residents from Mariupol, starting with these few strangers.

He moved them from besieged regions of the city to safer places at first.

However, when the conflict became more widespread, he began assisting individuals in fleeing the city.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Russian bombing has wreaked havoc on Mariupol, leaving residents trapped inside with little to no food and water.

According to the city council, 5,000 people are believed to have died. Hundreds of thousands of people are thought to have fled the country.

And ordinary citizens like Aleksey are some people’s only hope of survival.
He originally transported those he saved to the Primorskiy district train station, where he and his family were staying.

When airstrikes began to fall on Mariupol’s city centre, Aleksey realised that no place in the city was safe.

“I noticed a torrent of automobiles speeding out of town and urged my family, ‘Let’s get in the car, leave everything behind, and get out of this town,'” he added.

The family piled into his car and drove down Primorskiy Boulevard, weaving through the wreckage to the constant thud of shells.

“An explosion erupted in front of us.” We circled a bomb crater in our car. We continued on our way. “I observed folks who had come to a halt and pleaded for assistance,” he claimed.

“We picked those individuals up despite the fact that our car was nearly packed.”

They joined a convoy heading for a road they had been informed was a humanitarian corridor as they approached the city’s outskirts.

The deafening crash of Grad rockets falling on the field next to them startled them.

They have no idea where or who fired the missiles, but several of the convoy members were hit.

“We came to a halt. “We were taken aback and didn’t know what to do,” he explained.

“I had around 15-20 seconds to determine whether we should drive through the explosions or return to the city.”

“Either we die here or we die there, I reasoned. And I said, “Let’s get this party started.” And we were able to get out of this misery.”

Five of the convoy’s cars, including Aleksey’s, made it to a village where many other Mariupol escapees were taking refuge. Some of the convoy’s vehicles never arrived.

Aleksey made a different decision when he arrived at that village.

“I recall the words of Winston Churchill, a magnificent human being: ‘War is when innocent people die for the sake of others.’ “he stated

“And I recall my grandfather’s words: ‘It is better to die than to live a life full of terror.’

“I resolved to continue saving our innocent people, living or dead, under these shells, under these Grad rockets.”

There was a boarding home in the community where parents, family friends, and volunteers looked after the youngsters.

However, several parents were still trapped in Mariupol. They had sent their children to safety without them since there was not enough place in the automobiles for everyone.

“Many relatives asked me to go there and pick up their parents and other relatives at specified places,” Aleksey explained.

“I loaded up the car with food and drove to the locations, unsure if the structures would be intact or demolished.

“I’d hurry to the backyard and exclaim if the structure was still standing.” I did it quickly, before shells rained on me, and I placed people in cars and drove them back who had run out in response to my shouts.

“I’ve changed the car’s wheels five times now.” They were slashed by glass and shrapnel. This saloon can accommodate nine persons. “Can you believe it?”
As word spread that Aleksey might assist those fleeing Mariupol, he began receiving calls from frantic relatives all around Ukraine, as well as Poland and Germany.

People began to donate money to him in order to assist them, which he uses to purchase fuel and repair any damage to his automobile caused by shrapnel and debris.

Aleksey and his family have relocated to another city to dwell with relatives.

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