By An 11-year-old boy flees Ukraine by himself
An 11-year-old boy departed Ukraine to avoid the Russian invasion by himself, carrying just two bags, his passport and his relatives’ phone numbers.
Hassan, 11, left his home in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, by himself because his mother could not leave her elderly mother in a ‘warzone’.
The 11-year-old made a 750-mile journey from eastern Ukraine to Slovakia.
Hassan’s Mother put him on a train and was eventually helped across the border by customs officers.
Officials have labeled him a “true hero” and said he won over everyone with his smile.
According to the BBC, the boy arrived at the border carrying a plastic bag, his passport and a small red backpack.
Upon arrival, Hassan was taken in by volunteers and offered food and drink whilst border officials contacted his family.
Hassan’s mother thanked everyone for taking care of her son in a video, released by Slovak police.
In the video, Hassan’s mother, Julia Pisecka said:
“Next to my town is a power plant that the Russians are shelling. I couldn’t leave my mum – she can’t move by herself – so I sent my son to Slovakia”
The Nuclear power station was compromised by Russian soldiers over the weekend, an attack condemned by the entire world.
Hassan is just one of more than two million civilians who have fled the war in Ukraine, with more than 1.2 million travelling to Poland and 140,000 reaching Slovakia, according to the latest UN figures.
A Slovak interior ministry official said Hassan “won over everyone at the border with his smile, fearlessness and determination”
The official used a mobile phone number written on the boy’s hand, and on a piece of paper he had hidden in his pocket which was used to contact family in the Slovak capital.
Slovak officials have urged people wanting to help reunite Hassan, his mother and grandmother to donate to Slovak Christian youth association ZKSM.
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