A Maltese man who was trapped in Ukraine has been evacuated from the heavily bombarded city of Kharkiv and is en route to Malta after a dangerous 40-hour journey to Poland.

Martin Ellul Mercer said the Maltese Consulate in Ukraine and the Maltese Ambassador for Poland, in collaboration with Malta’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, had helped him escape the war zone.

Martin Ellul Mercer in Poland on Thursday.

He first spoke to Times of Malta from his home last week as the sound of bomb explosions in the distance interrupted the interview.

The retired physiotherapist, who moved to Kharkiv last year, on Wednesday described how tensions rose in the days following that interview as the conflict drew closer to his home.

It was impossible to leave. I was completely surrounded and even a trip to the shops was a gamble with death- Martin Ellul Mercer

For 12 days, he endured the sound of low-flying aircraft immediately followed by explosions.

“I would often hear machine gun fire in the streets around me,” he said from Poland.

“When I communicated with my nieces and nephews in Malta, I did not write texts. I sent voice messages because I thought if something happened to me, that’s the only memory of me they’ll have.”

Ellul Mercer said he would lie on the floor of his home in complete darkness during the attacks because it made him feel more secure.

He was advised to stand by a load-bearing wall when the area was under attack because, without a basement or bunker, that would be the safest place to be.

“I forced myself to sleep every night, not knowing what would happen,” he said.

“I was resigned to staying there, to the point that I had already offered my help as a physio in one of the hospitals because it was better to do something useful than to live through the anxiety of waiting alone at home.

“It was impossible to leave. I was completely surrounded and even a trip to the shops was a gamble with death.”

When he ran out of milk and bread last week, Martin left his house because he had no other option and walked to a supermarket.

There, he waited outside in the cold along with others in a line that was “around half a kilometre long” and surrounded by armed soldiers.

“As we waited, we heard constant explosions not far from where we were standing but nobody dared move because we needed food. They could have bombed the supermarket at any moment,” he added.

On the way back home, the explosions were so close he could feel the ground trembling beneath his feet.

On Sunday, the Maltese Ambassador to Poland, Marisa Farrugia, called Ellul Mercer with a promise to help him get out of the city. Together with the Maltese Consulate in Ukraine, they arranged for a humanitarian vehicle to pick him up from his home that evening.

But as Ellul Mercer packed his bags and got ready to go, his neighbourhood was hit by another heavy bombardment, forcing plans to be abandoned.

The following morning, when the coast was clear, a taxi came to pick him up and this time it worked. Had it not been for the authorities he would have never been able to leave his house, he said.

I can’t describe the feeling. I saw people getting sick and fainting and children crying- Martin Ellul Mercer

Ellul Mercer soon found himself inside a huge train station flooded with fleeing refugees.

“I managed to get on the train and it was packed with young women, children and elderly people... and a lot of dogs. There weren’t many men. They stayed behind to fight in the war,” he said.

“The footage of people crowding in front of train doors that you’re seeing on the news, that’s all true. I saw that.”

Ellul Mercer managed to squeeze himself into an overcrowded cabin for a journey that took 16 hours.

“I can’t describe the feeling. I saw people getting sick and fainting and children crying. People were anxious but they were also very kind to each other,” he said.

“And, at every station where the train stopped, people from that village would come up to us and give us food and water... it was extraordinary.”

On the way to Lviv, the train passed by Kyiv, which was in pitch darkness.

“As we passed by the capital city, the train driver switched off all the lights and drove slowly, out of fear that Russian forces might notice the train and target it,” he explained.

“The train could have been blown to smithereens as we passed by Kyiv.”

Then, when the train pulled up in Lviv, on the far west of Ukraine on Tuesday at 3am, Ellul Mercer was euphoric.

A Polish soldier helps a family crossing the border with Ukraine. Photo: AFP

He saw thousands of other refugees being aided by NGO workers. The new arrivals were waiting to hitch lifts to the Polish-Ukraine border in a temperature of -2 Celsius. He made it to the border a few hours later.

“The moment I entered Poland I could feel the difference. I could feel it was the European Union,” he said.

“All the while, people were so nice to each other, despite their predicament.”

He did not sleep a wink throughout the entire trip.

“I didn’t even feel tired. I was so anxious about what might happen that I never thought of sleep.”

He spoke to Times of Malta from Krakow, waiting to board a train to Warsaw where he was scheduled to meet ambassador Farrugia.

“I want to come to Malta now. I miss my children and, even though the worst is over, the journey will not be over until I see my children again,” he said.

“I want to go back to Ukraine when the war is over because I love it. But when I do, I don’t know if I’ll find my house, my neighbours or friends.”