Chris Parry: The Cornish running coach who saved hundreds from Ukrainian frontlines
It’s hard to imagine the bravery it takes to drive a van into a hotzone on the frontline, artillery fire exploding all around as you try to evacuate as many people as possible.
Chris Parry didn’t know much about Ukraine before Russia invaded in February last year, but as soon as he saw news of the invasion he knew he had to go to help.
He spent months going into recently liberated villages on some of the most dangerous parts of the frontline where he rescued dozens, perhaps hundreds, of civilians.
Confirmation of his death on Tuesday comes after he and fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw went missing on Friday after setting out for the embattled city of Soledar.
Originally from Cornwall, 28-year-old Mr Parry was living in Cheltenham and working as a running coach before the war.
He flew out to Poland and then crossed the border into Ukraine on 5 March.
It wasn’t long before he had loaded up a van with supplies and set out to Kharkiv with a few others, taking back roads and on the lookout for the Russian soldiers that could be anywhere.
“It was a ghost town,” he told Sky News in November.
“We were driving on the main highway into Kharkiv from the south and I remember passing one tank on the back of a lorry in blizzard-like conditions.
“And there was no one else on the road – and this is like the M5 equivalent so it was very, very peculiar.
“My companions were like ‘yeah this is getting a bit scary now’.”
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Chris spoke to Sky News in November
‘I almost crashed on first trip to Kharkiv’
He said this first experience of the real war was “eye-opening”.
He told Sky News in November: “I look back on it very fondly because it was such a huge adventure.
“We broke down so much and we had so many issues because of the road conditions, we got stuck in the snow, I almost crashed.
“Lots of things happened, but we survived and that’s the most important thing.”
It seems that wherever the battle was hottest, that was where Chris headed, determined to save as many people as he could.
He did evacuation runs out of Severodonetsk as Russian forces closed in, getting people out of the besieged city before it finally fell in June.
“That was getting shelled every minute or so,” he said.
‘We were being shelled by artillery… they were watching us’
The time eventually came when he made the difficult decision to tell his parents that he had been working in Ukraine for weeks, and not in Poland as they had thought.
He didn’t want to worry them more than he needed to, but he also wanted to tell his story to spread the word about what was happening in Ukraine and how people could help.
In the days after he went missing, his family praised his compassion and care for others, and spoke of their pride in what he was doing.
Speaking to Sky News about a notable evacuation in a village east of Lyman in November, he described the scary moment they were fired upon by Russian forces.
“We were being shelled by artillery because they were watching us with a drone, and then waiting for us to park up and then they had a minute or two to try and hit us.
“We were getting hit by that quite a lot. So running to the car with people, trying to get in the car and then driving off as soon as possible was pretty high on the priority list.”
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UK considering sending tanks to Ukraine for first time
Rescuing a family who had lived in a basement for months
In another operation, he described how he and his team rescued a family that had been sheltering for months.
“I picked up a woman and she had four young children from the age of five to 12, and they had been living in their basement under occupation since March.
“Her husband had been taken by the Russians, so of course they’re extremely concerned about him.
“We eventually got them to safety. In the car they were crying, just terrified.
“But when they came here and they got out and we got them a bed and lights are on, they give me a big hug – they’re just overwhelmed with joy but also at the same time that’s when the shock really hits them.
“Because there’s no more bangs, they’re safe and it’s kind of over. But they’ve left everything behind.”
King Charles will return to official public duties later for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.
The monarch, who is the patron of Macmillan Cancer Support, will visit a cancer treatment centre to meet medical specialists and other patients, along with the Queen.
He decided to announce he had cancer at the beginning of February.
Since then, cancer charities have praised his openness and the impact it’s had on raising public awareness, along with the Princess of Wales also talking about her diagnosis.
The aim of today’s visit, where he will meet larger numbers of people for the first time, is to draw attention to the importance of early diagnosis and highlight innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, taking place at the hospital.
Queen Camilla, pictured here on Monday, is also due to attend the event. Pic: PA
On Friday, the palace announced that the King was “greatly encouraged” to be given the green light by doctors to return to some public-facing duties.
Sources have stressed that despite the welcome news, the King still has cancer and will continue to be treated for the undisclosed form of the disease.
The Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty’s treatment programme will continue, but doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties.”
They added: “Forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimise any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”
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The King has continued to carry on with his constitutional work behind the scenes and held small meetings inside the palace, including with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
At Easter, he made a point of greeting crowds who had turned out to see him attend the church service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, which was seen as a hint that more public-facing engagements could soon follow.
Palace officials continue to plan for a busy summer and autumn of events but will work around the caveat that plans may need to change depending on the King’s health and doctors’ advice.
The King pictured during his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in February. Pic: PA
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The summer months are always a busy period for the Royal Family with events like Trooping the Colour, Garter Day, and Royal Ascot.
There is also the prospect of overseas travel towards the end of the year, as Samoa is hosting the biennial meeting of Commonwealth leaders.
The next leader of the SNP could be “crowned… with no contest”, the Scottish Conservatives have claimed, after Humza Yousaf stepped down from the role on Monday.
Mr Yousaf – who has been leader and first minister of Scotland for just over a year – announced his resignation after his decision last week to cut power-sharing ties with the Scottish Green Party saw his leadership collapse.
Now the focus is moving onto who will replace him with nominations now open until midday on Monday 6 June.
Former deputy of the party John Swinney appears to be leading the pack.
Politics live: Next Scottish FM tipped to be ‘crowned with no contest’
Mr Swinney – was was Nicola Sturgeon’s number two between 2014 and 2023 – has yet to confirm he is running for the leadership, telling Sky News he was “giving very careful consideration” to the decision.
But senior figures have already given him their backing, with the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn telling Sky News: “Serious times demand serious politics and serious people, and the best person to take that forward now for the Scottish Nationalist Party is John Swinney.”
He may not have a straight path to victory, however, with sources close to Kate Forbes – who lost out to Mr Yousaf during last year’s leadership contest – saying the MSP was also “actively considering” another run for the top job.
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Swinney ‘considering’ SNP leadership bid
Speaking to the Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross said he didn’t think there would be a contest though.
“My reading of the situation now is John Swinney will be crowned as SNP leader with no contest, and I think as soon as next week there will be a vote in the Scottish Parliament to elect him as the first minister,” he said.
“You’ve seen countless senior politicians both here at Westminster and in Edinburgh back John Swinney. Of course, it’s the same John Swinney that last year ruled himself out and said it’s time for fresh talent to come through.”
He added: “That’s not really going to be a change, it’ll be more of the same, that’s focusing on independence at the expense of the real priorities that people across Scotland have.”
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Meanwhile, former first minister and now leader of rival party Alba Alex Salmond has been expressing sympathy for Mr Yousaf, telling Sophy Ridge it was “a great wrench” to leave the role.
But he questioned whether those around the outgoing leader were “acting in his best interests”, hinting at a plot to oust him in favour of Mr Swinney.
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Yousaf: ‘I’m sad my time is ending’
Asked whether the contest would be a “stitch up” by “the boys club” at the top of the SNP – as party MP Joanna Cherry suggested earlier – the current deputy leader, Keith Brown, said no.
He told Sophy Ridge: “The majority of the cabinet are female and of course we had a very lengthy period with a female leader, so anybody can come forward for this contest.”
However, Mr Brown gave his support to Mr Swinney, saying he was “somebody who is experienced and somebody who will bring unity hopefully to the parliament but also to the party”.
UK
Duchess of Edinburgh: Sophie becomes first member of Royal Family to visit Ukraine since Russia’s invasion
The Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first member of the Royal Family to visit Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Sophie’s trip was to “demonstrate solidarity with the women, men and children impacted by the war”, said Buckingham Palace.
The palace also said it was a continuation of her work to champion survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
The duchess, 59, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the first lady Olena Zelenska.
The Duchess of Edinburgh visited a memorial for victims of the Bucha massacre
The duchess met an Orthodox priest in Bucha
Sophie, who is a full-time working member of the Royal Family, also delivered a private message to them in a letter from the King.
The royal visited the site of a mass grave in Bucha where victims of the Russian occupation were buried.
The duchess laid flowers at a memorial that contains the names of the victims.
Early on in the war after Russian forces left the town, a number of dead bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs – seemingly shot at close range. President Vladimir Putin’s troops are accused of war crimes there, including executions and rapes.
During her visit, the duchess also met survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and survivors of torture, said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Sophie met children of families affected by the war
And she met children who have now been safely returned to Ukraine, after being forcibly separated from their families and taken by Russia.
She also met female volunteers who have helped their communities cope with the aftermath of attacks with mental healthcare activities for children.
In a speech during her visit, Sophie said: “It’s true that women and girls pay the highest price in terms of human cost when it comes to the way that they are affected, the way that they can be used as weapons of war.
“Rape is used to demean, to degrade and to destroy, and we have to get better at trying to prevent that from happening.”
She added: “I’ve been meeting with survivors of sexual violence and the conflict. I thank them for that honesty in telling me what happened to them. Their stories are sad… but I appreciate their time and their openness.”
The royal visited the Romanivska Bridge in the town of Irpin. Pic: AP
As part of her trip, Sophie visited the “Road to Life” in Irpin, also known as the Romanivska Bridge, that was blown up to stop Mr Putin’s troops proceeding to Kyiv, and later became a key route for people fleeing to safety from the Russian occupation.
The royal also visited the Saint Sophia Cathedral with the first lady in the capital Kyiv.
The Duchess of Edinburgh with the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska at the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Pic: PA
The Ukraine trip was at the request of the FCDO.
In the two years since the war began on 24 February 2022, at least 10,582 civilians have been killed and 19,875 injured in conflict-related violence in the country, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).
Those killed include 5,017 men, 3,093 women, 311 boys and 248 girls.
Sophie signs the guest book at the cathedral. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
The King, when he was Prince of Wales, visited Ukraine in 1996. As monarch, he sent a message of support to the people of Ukraine on the second anniversary of the war.
He wrote: “Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression.”
In March 2023, Prince William visited Poland to thank British and Polish troops involved in providing support to Ukraine, before meeting refugees who have fled the conflict with Russia to hear of their experiences.
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Sophie announced her commitment to champion the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) and the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) on International Women’s Day in 2019.
Over the years, the duchess has visited a number of countries to highlight the impact of historical and ongoing conflict.
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They include Kosovo, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia.
And she has heard first-hand testimonies from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
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