Portuguese football manager Paulo Fonseca is stranded in Ukraine with his wife and son after their last-ditch attempt to escape war-torn Kiev failed with their morning flight abandoned.
Fonseca, who previously coached Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, is married to Ukrainian Katerina Ostroushko and they had a son together in 2019.
With Russia heading for Ukraine amid growing political tensions, Fonseca had plotted an exit route from Kiev via a 10am flight, only to see all commercial flights suspended.
Airports have been destroyed following missile strikes, roads are log-jammed with Ukrainians trying to escape to nearby Poland and Fonseca is holed up in a Kiev hotel on what he has labelled the 'worst day of his life'.
'I woke up at five in the morning with five explosions in a row,' he told Jornal de Noticias.
'I had a flight scheduled for today, but now it is impossible to leave here, not least because the airports are already destroyed and the airspace has been closed.
'This is the worst day of my life. Now it's time to wait and be lucky. And pray that a bomb doesn't fall on us.'
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated overnight with Russian president Vladimir Putin ordering his military forces to invade Ukraine on multiple fronts with missiles and bombs raining from the sky, tanks moving across the border and 'hundreds' of Ukrainian troops have been reported dead.
On Thursday afternoon, Fonseca posted a short video to his social media accounts thanking fans for their support and saying that he and his wife 'believe peace will eventually prevail'.
In the clip filmed on a balcony in Kiev, he said: 'Hello everyone. I am in Kiev. My family and I are going through a very tough time in the middle of an unacceptable war. However, we believe peace will eventually prevail and we must remain strong.
I've receive messages from many people in Portugal, Italy and all around the world, and I want to thank everyone for the care that you have shown my family and I at this time.
'Hope to see all of you soon.'
Official figures said 40 Ukrainian troops had been killed in early skirmishes with 'dozens' wounded after Putin gave the green light for an early morning invasion on Thursday.
With flights grounded and Russia's assault on the country from the south, east and north making an escape by land highly treacherous, Fonseca confessed to not knowing a way out.
His wife Katerina wrote on Instagram, accompanied with a picture of the couple's son: 'Worst morning ever. Pain. Anger, anger, anger and pain.
'My little son didn't deserve the war. The children of Ukraine did not deserve the war.'
Fonseca used to coach Shakhtar Donetsk and many of the Ukrainian side's foreign players also find themselves stranded.
A Brazilian contingent that are stuck in the players' hotel have appealed to their government for an immediate evacuation, saying 'the situation is one of despair.'
A video clip showed players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev, with their families, gathered in a hotel in the Ukrainian capital.
Shakhtar striker Junior Moraes, 34, sent a message saying: 'The situation is one of despair. I ask you to disclose this video so that it reaches the [Brazilian] government.
'Borders are closed, banks [are shut], there is no fuel, there will be a shortage of food, there is no money. We are gathered waiting for a plan to leave Ukraine.'
There are 12 Brazilian players in the Shakhtar squad, while the forward Vitinho plays for Dynamo Kiev.
Ukraine have claimed that six Russian jets have been shot out of the sky over the eastern Donbass region with 50 Russian troops killed but Russia's air force had taken control of the skies over the country.
Precision-guided missiles slammed into strategic targets throughout the country, including airfields, military bases, ammunition dumps and command posts.
The night sky above Kiev was lit up as Russia targeted the command headquarters of the Ukrainian military near the city.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine and Manchester City footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko claimed Instagram deleted a post in which he wished the 'creature' Putin 'the most painful suffering death'.
Zinchenko posted a picture of the Russian president and wrote: 'I hope you die the most painful suffering death, creature.'
But the stories post was later taken down and the player claimed Instagram had censored him. Sportsmail has contacted Instagram for comment.