As women and children flee Ukraine while men of fighting age stay back to join local defence units amid Russia’s armed attack on the country, the photo of a young boy has gone viral.
The 11-year-old boy is being hailed as a “hero” after travelling nearly 700 miles (1,000 km) to Slovakia alone, armed with only a letter and a phone number written on his hand.
“With one plastic bag, passport and phone number written on his hand, he came completely alone because his parents had to stay in Ukraine,” the Slovakian Ministry of Interior said in a Facebook post.
Hailing the boy for his courage, the ministry added: “[The boy] gained all of them with his smile, fearlessness and determination, worthy to be a true hero.”
Sharing images of him being greeted by volunteers at the border, the post said the volunteers took care of him making sure he was kept warm and provided him with food and drinks, and even packed some for him for his journey ahead.
According to the Interior Ministry, the young boy is from Zaporizhzhia – the site of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant, which was captured by Russian forces last week. Images show the boy wearing a beanie and a heavy winter coat while standing in front of a table stocked with drinks and food.
The Slovakian authorities shared another video of the boy’s mother explaining why he had to travel alone. Identified as Yulia Pisetskaya, in a video posted on Facebook, the mother, a widow, said that she had put her son on a train to Slovakia out of desperation.
“I want to thank the Slovak customs and volunteers who took care of my son and helped him cross the border. I am grateful you have saved my child’s life. Next to my town is a nuclear power plant that the Russians are shooting at. I couldn’t leave my mother ― she can’t move on her own,” the woman said, as translated by HuffPost.
Authorities dialled the number on the boy’s hand and were able to contact his relatives in Bratislava, Slovakia, who later picked him up. The ministry, which posted photos of the child, said, “the whole story ended well”.
As the posts went viral, left people heartbroken, with many urging Russia to stop the war. “Sweet child, I hope you reunite with your parents really soon. I’m so sorry you have to go through this,” one person commented.
