A heartbreaking video has emerged that shows a 11-year-old Ukrainian boy walking alone as he sobs on a rod leading to Slovakia. The Ukrainian boy is being helmed as true hero for traveling almost 700 miles all alone to escape the war, carrying just his passport and a phone number on his hand.
The boy was reportedly taken care of by Slovakian border guards after he crossed into the country, according to the Slovak interior ministry. The touching video at the same time also reflects the plight of millions of refugees who have been fleeing Ukraine looking for shelter in neighboring countries as Russia continues its hostilities.
True Hero
The 11-year-old had with him only a plastic bag, a passport, and a telephone number written on his hand, according to The Guardian. According to the UK's Metro, the child, who is from Zaporizhzhia, the site of Europe's largest nuclear power station, was sent off alone on a train by his anxious mother to find relatives while she had stayed behind to care for her sick parents.
Yulia Volodymyrivna Pisecka, the boy's widowed mother, explained why she decided to send her son on the dangerous voyage in a video. "There's a nuclear power plant next to my town, which the Russians were shooting at. It was on fire," she said, the Independent reported.
"I can't leave my mother, she can't move independently, so I sent my son alone on a train toward the Slovak border," Pisecka said.
The boy then traveled all alone, first on a train and then walked for hundreds of miles. The heartbreaking video shows him tired and crying as he walks all alone dragging a plastic bag. There are others also fleeing alongside him but the child is just on his own.
Luckily, the Slovakian border guards took notice of the poor child and took care of him. In a message on the Facebook page of the Slovakian Ministry of Interior, a spokesperson praised the boy's fearlessness and determination.
Touching Moments
In the early hours of Friday, Russian troops attacked the Zaporizhzhia complex, Europe's largest nuclear power station, which generates roughly 20 percent of Ukraine's electricity. The facility has since been taken over by them. During the fierce fighting, the boy was among the thousands of citizens in the city whose life came in danger as one of the reactors caught fire.
The Slovakian Ministry of Interior later tracked down the boy's mother and informed her that he was safe. Pisecka also mentioned in her Facebook post that her son was taken care of the border guards and thanked them.
"There, he met people with a big heart. A small country has people with big hearts. 'Please save our Ukrainian children and give them a safe haven,'" she wrote.
Defense Minister Roman Mikulec said: "Little Hassan is only 11 years old, but in his way he has shown huge determination, courage and fearlessness that sometimes adults don't have. I am really very sorry for him and all the other children and their families who have to flee their country because of what is happening in Ukraine. Together with his siblings, he already asked for temporary protection."
Since the Russian invasion began on February 24, more than 1.7 million migrants have fled Ukraine, according to reports.
