“Unrelenting.” That’s how Calgarian Paul Hughes describes the latest Russian assaults on Ukraine.
“For the final three hours the town has been bombarded by Shaheds and missiles and cruise missiles,” mentioned Hughes, chatting with World Information from the darkened Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Thursday night.
“Within the final two to a few months it has actually intensified,” added Hughes, with the sound of bombs exploding within the distance.
“June was virtually 6,000 Shahed (drone) assaults, missiles — it’s getting very dangerous right here. You may scent it within the air. You may see the smoke.”
Smoke rises after a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, July 4, 2025.
Related Press/Yehor Konovalov
Hughes has been in Ukraine since 2022 as a volunteer, doing humanitarian work with the Canadian charity H.U.G.S. (Serving to Ukraine – Grassroots Help).
A couple of weeks after his arrival he was joined by his son MacKenzie, who’s now 22 years outdated and has been working alongside Ukrainian troops, organizing aid efforts and humanitarian assist for individuals who have been displaced alongside the battle’s entrance strains.
On Canada Day, throughout a kind of huge Russian bombardments, MacKenzie was injured.
Fortunately he’s nonetheless alive, however the extent of his accidents isn’t but clear.
22-year-old MacKenzie Hughes and his father Paul have been in Ukraine since 2022, working to ship humanitarian assist to folks displaced by the preventing alongside the entrance strains of the battle.
Courtesy: Paul Hughes
When he bought phrase of the assault, Paul Hughes rushed to be together with his son.
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“I’ve spent the previous few days — drove down kind Kharkiv instantly after I was contacted by his unit, so I’ve been with him continuously since July 1st,” mentioned Hughes.
MacKenzie has burns to about 30 per cent of his physique. He was pinned below a automobile however was saved by two different members of his workforce.
“He’s steady however he’s not OK,” mentioned the elder Hughes. “You don’t get hit by Shaheds and be OK.”
Calgarian Paul Hughes, whose son MacKenzie is seen serving to ship humanitarian assist alongside the entrance strains of the battle in Ukraine, mentioned he’s impressed by the bravery of the Ukrainian folks.
Courtesy: Paul Hughes
Hughes mentioned he has been in contact with the Canadian embassy, and there are individuals who have provided to attempt to get his son again to Canada. However MacKenzie mentioned no — he didn’t need to go away Ukraine.
“He’s receiving superb care right here in Kyiv,” mentioned Hughes. “At a burn unit that makes a speciality of burns. I imply, a few of the finest docs on the earth are in Ukraine now due to all of the trauma over the previous three-and-a-half years. So that they cope with quite a lot of burns. He’s receiving distinctive care in the meanwhile.”
22-year-old MacKenzie Hughes, from Calgary, is seen in a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine after he was injured in a Russian assault on July 1, 2025.
Courtesy: Paul Hughes
After seeing so many harmless folks killed within the Russian bombardments, Hughes is impressed by the bravery of the Ukrainian folks.
“There are folks, civilians, predominantly civilians, dying regularly from the terrorist assaults. On the entrance line, it’s troopers, however within the cities the place it’s purely civilian. That is pure terrorism,” mentioned Hughes.
“It’s one factor to have your generic kind warfare and a entrance line and soldier versus soldier and artillery versus artillery, however that is unrelenting assaults on civilian inhabitants and that’s pure terrorism.”
Hughes concluded our interview by asking his buddies again in Canada to maintain his son of their ideas.
“He’s a really robust younger man and he’s bought a extremely good probability to get again to kind,” mentioned Hughes. “That’s my hope as a father. I like my son.”
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