Fitchburg man braves Ukraine war zone to rescue daughter and grandson

“That’s what dads do. They take care of their family,” said William Hubbard.

March 13, 2022

2 minutes to read

A Massachusetts man has traveled to Ukraine to help his 19-year-old daughter and her infant son flee the war-torn country.

“That’s what dads do. They take care of their family,” said William Hubbard.
of Fitchburg recently told WCVB he flew to Turkey and then Poland where he took a train to southern Poland. He then walked across the Ukrainian border to find his daughter, Aislinn, and her 8-month-old son Seraphim, who live outside the capital city of Kyiv.

“That’s what dads do. They take care of their family,” he told the news agency.

According to WCVB’s report, Aislinn moved to Ukraine four years ago to study ballet. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged, a pregnant Aislinn gave birth at home. As a result, Seraphim has no birth certificate or passport.

“In Ukraine, because of COVID, many women have chosen to have home births,” Hubbard told the news outlet. “And when you have a baby at home in Ukraine, the pathway to getting a birth certificate is much more difficult.”

Hubbard previously traveled to Ukraine to procure a DNA test for the boy, to prove his U.S. citizenship, but to no avail.

After he left, tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated, leaving his daughter concerned.

Hubbard told the outlet Aislinn was “constantly hearing loud noises outside… and the windows were shaking.”

Aislinn and her boyfriend, the baby’s father, live about 300 miles from the border and don’t own a vehicle, making travel difficult.

As Russia attacked Ukraine, Hubbard decided to return to Ukraine to help his daughter and grandson make their way out of the war zone.

He told WCVB, “My only thought was to work through every issue and every problem that I would come across and to get to where my daughter and grandson were,” he said.

The trio reunited and bid farewell to Aislinn’s boyfriend, who is reportedly not allowed to leave Ukraine. As of Friday, the Hubbards were at the border of Slovakia along with thousands of refugees. Hubbard told the outlet the baby is still without paperwork, but that he was confident they’d make it out of Ukraine soon.

Hubbard created a Go Fund Me fundraiser to help raise money for his daughter’s journey and legal expenses.

My sister is stuck in ukraine. Can you please share her go fund me? https://t.co/bYtJVdo39X
— Charí (@Charis_Amanda) March 12, 2022

“The war has completely disrupted their life and income,” he said on the website. As of Sunday, the fundraiser had raised about $8,600. Hubbard also gave an update saying as of Sunday, he and his family were safe, but still in Ukraine.