An Orpington mum says she is desperate to be reunited with her husband  trapped in Ukraine with a fever.

Nicola Chumak, 47, said her husband Peter has been frantically trying to flea and get to safety and has seen the horrific results of the fighting – including a dead body lying in the street.

Peter, 40, travelled from London to Ukraine just four days before the Russian invasion and is now stuck and has developed a fever.

He made a frantic attempt to cross the border into Poland but failed and had to drive back to his family’s home.

Hotel manager Peter Chumak, 40, flew to his home city of Rivne in western Ukraine on February 20 to deal with an urgent family matter.

His original plan had been to stay for a week, but following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, Peter opted to flea and cross into Poland.

According to Nicola, he arrived at the border at 10.30pm.

At 9pm that evening the Ukrainian government had imposed martial law, meaning men between 18 and 60 were forbidden from leaving the country.

She said: “He missed it by about 90 minutes. It is gutting.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) from the couple’s home in Orpington, Nicola said there were so many people trying to cross the border, Peter was unable to get to the front of the queue quick enough before martial law was introduced.

Peter did not give up hope of crossing the border straight away and, together with his dad who had driven him there, camped in their van hoping for the right opportunity.

Nicola said: “He stayed at the border for three nights in freezing conditions. Things were deteriorating there and he had no food.”

Describing what Peter saw at the border, she added: “Food was running out in the shops.

"There were people dying in the streets getting sick.

“There was a dead body at the petrol station just lying on the ground.”

According to Nicola, by the end of his three days, the only thing Peter was able to buy was vodka. 

"Because my husband had left in such a rush, he hadn’t taken anything with him.

“He didn’t have a stove for cooking or anything to keep him warm and he hadn’t taken a proper winter coat because he was only supposed to go for a week. 

"In the end, I don’t think they had any food left," she said.

When he began to fall ill, Peter had no choice but to return to his parents’ home, where he is still struggling with a fever.

Nicola says she is also concerned the effect being stuck in Ukraine will have on her husband’s mental health.

She said: “At the moment he can’t attempt to go back to the border because he’s just not well.”

The couple have a 12-year-old son, Harry, who Nicola says understands that his dad isn’t able to leave Ukraine.

She said: “We just miss him desperately. Everything is on hold here.”

In Orpington, Peter runs a children’s football club in his spare time, managing the team and getting stuck in to make sure any child who wants to is able to play.

Nicola said: “He’s really well-liked in the community, he’s just a lovely, lovely guy.

“He gives lifts to the kids to get them to the football. If there’s a single mum that can’t get their child there, Peter will help out.”

According to Nicola, the Chesterfield Mayfair hotel, where Peter works as the night manager, have also been really supportive and reassured him his job will still be there when he returns.

Nicola approached her MP Gareth Bacon for help trying to bring Peter home, although the fact he was born in Ukraine has complicated the situation.

In a statement to the LDRS, a spokesperson for Mr Bacon said: “Mr Bacon is very sympathetic to the plight of the Chumak family. 

“Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine will cause untold tragedy and the Chumaks’ situation is a good example of that.

“As Mr Bacon understands, Mr Chumak is a Ukrainian national and under the laws of his country, which is currently being invaded by a hostile power, males between the ages of 18-60 have been forbidden to leave and the UK Government does not have the power to unilaterally change another country’s policy.

“However, Mr Bacon has written to the Foreign Secretary to see if anything might be achievable.”

For the time being, Nicola and Peter are still able to communicate throughout the day via mobile phones, although the signal has occasionally cut out.

They are desperate to be reunited. 

Nicola said: “His son is here. His job is here. His life is here. He wants to get home to his life. We just want him home.”

Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletters to get updates sent straight to your inbox.