"Dad, come get me": a poignant tale of how a father rescued his son, a sailor, during the occupation (video).

A Ukrainian man walked for two days from the occupied Mariupol, having lost his way after sustaining an injury. Upon reaching Berdyansk, he called his father. His story was shared as part of the "Kordon.UA" project, with a video released by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Yuri and Dmitry are father and son, both serving as border guards at sea. After the onset of the full-scale war, the family received messages from the Ukrainian soldier as a sign that he was alive. One day, a long-awaited call came, but instead of reassuring news, he said: "Dad, come pick me up."

Dmitry hails from Berdyansk, where he began his service in the Marine Guard division. He was a mechanic on the boat where he experienced the start of the full-scale war on February 24, 2022. Just that morning, he and his comrades were setting up positions on Berdyansk Spit, and by evening, he was taken by bus to Mariupol. There, at the combat positions, he sustained a concussion.

"I lost consciousness. When I came to, I didn’t really understand where I was. When I went looking for my comrades, I didn’t even know which way to go, where my people were, where the enemy was. It was decided to destroy my weapon and try to go 'as a civilian'," — the border guard recalled.

He was unfamiliar with Mariupol but decided to try to walk out of the surrounded city to Berdyansk.

"When you walk through a yard and see 5-10 graves in each one, it feels strange... Or you walk by a 'Nova Poshta' office, and it has a sign that says 'morgue', and you can already smell it," — Dmitry shared.

He had only his passport with him. In some building, he found civilian clothes and glasses since he had vision problems. Thanks to the "disguise," he was allowed through the enemy checkpoint.

"They mainly wanted you not to say you were going to Zaporizhzhia or Kyiv. Because people were immediately detained and taken somewhere," — the sailor explained.

After 40 kilometers, near the village of Mangush, he encountered a new checkpoint. Here, avoiding filtering was impossible, but civilian clothing once again "saved" him. People were not allowed to travel from Mariupol to Berdyansk, only in the direction of Russia. Buses were even provided to take people to Crimea, Rostov-on-Don, and Taganrog.

"I was let through, and for the next 8 hours, I walked to my hometown, Berdyansk," — Dmitry clarified.

As he approached Berdyansk, he asked a passerby for a phone and made one call — to his father. Within 20 minutes, his family picked him up on the outskirts of the city.

His father Yuri recalled the day when the phone rang. It was an unknown number. On the line was a familiar voice: "Dad, pick me up." Upon hearing this, the man ran "in whatever he was wearing," knowing his son was supposed to be in Mariupol and was very worried.

In October 2023, Yuri also joined the ranks of the Marine Guard of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and became his son’s comrade. Now they serve in the same unit. In Berdyansk, Dmitry's wife awaited him, refusing to leave despite the looming threat of occupation until his return.

"I told her that there’s a 100-kilometer zone around us, and we won’t get out of here alive. I insisted that she must not stay there under any circumstances," — the sailor shared.

Upon returning, he immediately left Berdyansk with his wife. A few months later, his parents also left their hometown. Dmitry is left with haunting memories of occupied Mariupol and a pair of sneakers in which he walked 70 kilometers over two days. Now, the sneakers are kept at the border guard's home. He also treasures a patch with the inscription "Berdyansk," which he never removes from his shoulder.

The Ukrainian man stated that after the liberation of Berdyansk, he would first head to the sea. Regardless of whether it is summer or winter. Once, the sailor dreamed of strolling along the waterfront with his baby in a stroller by the native sea. While this dream has yet to come true, he lives and fights for his little child.

Yuri assured that the residents of Berdyansk have not turned their backs on Ukraine and live in hope of de-occupation.

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