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Ix Shen, a Singaporean former TCS actor and accidental war correspondent, said he will be evacuating the capital, Kyiv, with his Ukrainian wife, Natalia.
Evacuating to the west
Shen's decision is a marked change from his previous update on Mar. 4, when the 49-year-old said he was not going to leave Kyiv.
He explained his then-decision by saying: "Evacuating right now actually provides more risk."
He has been giving on-the-ground updates from his location in Ukraine via his Instagram page since Feb. 25, just one day after Russia invaded the country.
As usual, Shen took to Instagram to announce his decision on Mar. 8, the 13th day of the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a short 37-second video, Shen detailed his next move and explained his decision in English, then once more in Chinese.
Standing in front of a white car with a packed boot, Shen said he and his wife will be evacuating from Kyiv and are headed in the "west direction".
Shen: "We'll be safe and okay."
While the couple will be "planning and moving" as they go along, he reassured his audience by saying: "We’ll be safe and okay.”
As with most of his previous updates, Shen accompanied the statement with his signature okay hand gesture that has become his trademark sign-off.
He explained that it will not be in his and Natalia's "best interests to live extensively underground during the next phase of fighting" based on the couple's "latest information".
Shen did not elaborate on what the "latest information" entailed.
He concluded his update with the traditional "Slava Ukraini", or "Слава Україні" as seen on-screen, which translates to glory to Ukraine.
Here's Shen's full transcript in English:
“Hi, we are safe and okay. Based on our latest information, we have decided that it’s not in our best interests to live extensively underground during the next phase of fighting. So we’ll be evacuating from Kyiv, in the west direction, and we’re planning and moving as we go along. We’ll be safe and okay.”
One of six Singaporeans left in Ukraine
According to CNA, Shen and Natalia, a Chinese traditional medicine practitioner, have been living in Kyiv for the past four months.
Shen is believed to be one of the six Singaporeans in Ukraine as of Mar. 3.
This was after three Singaporeans were evacuated from Ukraine and made their way to Poland.
Shen's previous updates
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Top image screenshot from video from @Ix_shen/Instagram