Local man on rescue mission to Poland to get wife, stepson out of Ukraine

PITTSBURGH — Martin Roethlein made his decision just days ago and said he doesn’t know where it will lead him.

But [he does know] his first stop is New York, then Amsterdam, and finally Warsaw, Poland, where he hopes to reunite with his wife and family.

Roethlein is on a rescue mission to get his wife and 10-year-old stepson out of Ukraine safely.

“My [immigration] attorney was like, ‘the best thing to do is to get to your wife, and get to a country with the U.S. Embassy’,” said Roethlein.

Armed with a single suitcase, a passport and a plane ticket, Martin will travel more than 4,000 miles to Warsaw, Poland.

“My wife only has a train ticket to Lviv,” said Roethlein.

His wife and son will have to first get out of Vinnytsia, Ukraine, and then travel another 150 miles to get to Poland before they can all reunite.

But leaving a country that is under daily attack from Russian troops is difficult: “There’s a lot of people in Ukraine trying to get Poland,” said Roethlein. “Hopefully, we maintain communication.”

Roethlein said if they lose contact the plan won’t change.

“She knows the Radisson Blu Warsaw,” said Roethlein.

The couple hopes there in Poland they can complete the paperwork they began when the couple married last year.

“We’ve been working on her immigration here for about eight months now,” said Roethlein.

“Find my wife, get to the embassy, and hopefully, we are just adding two people to that flight,” said Roethlein.

In two weeks Roethlein hopes to return to Pittsburgh with his wife and son.

People gathering across Pittsburgh to show support for Ukraine

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