WINFIELD, Ala. (WIAT) — Hearing bombs go off outside Dnipro, Ukraine Wednesday night was enough to convince Rev. Mark Posey to leave.

Posey, pastor at Winfield Church of Christ, was in Ukraine on a trip to help lead churches in the area when Russian forces invading the eastern part of the country and beyond forced the Alabama minister to leave.

When reached for comment late Wednesday night, Posey said he was fleeing Dnipro to go to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv with plans to eventually reach Poland.

“There is unrest among the people here. Many are fleeing to the western part of the country,” Posey said. “Please pray for those that cannot travel due to age or disability.”

Posey has been pastor at Winfield Church of Christ since 2018 but has gone back and forth from Alabama to Ukraine and parts of Poland for over 30 years to help establish churches. James Wyers, an elder at Posey’s church, said he and another church staff have been trying to keep up with Posey as he tries to reach safety.

“Everyone has been very worried about him,” Wyers said. “Right now, we just don’t know where he is.”

Wyers, who had previously served as pastor at Winfield before Posey, said he was concerned about how long it would take for Posey to reach Poland, given how so many people are trying to leave Ukraine.

“It may really slow him down,” he said.