He was carrying a backpack and a plastic bag, and he had a phone number written on his arm with a pen. His parents had to stay in Ukraine. His mom could not leave her own mother, who required assistance, and his father went off to fight in the war. The family was confronted with a dramatic choice: either to risk the boy’s life in a war-torn country, or to let him escape, alone. They opted for the latter.
On his own
The boy fled Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, headed towards the border with Slovakia, and then went towards the capital city of Bratislava, where he has relatives. All alone, he covered the distance of about 1,300 kilometers. Slovakia’s Interior Ministry called the brave 11-year-old “last night’s biggest hero.”
He reached his destination safe and sound. On the way, he was helped by many kind people, including the volunteers who fed him at the border. As the Slovak Interior Ministry wrote on social media, “He endeared himself to everyone with his smile, fearlessness and determination worthy of a true hero.”
A true hero
Thanks to the phone number written on his arm and a piece of paper in his passport, it was possible to contact the boy’s relatives, who came to collect him.
Zaporizhzhia, the town the boy escaped from, has recently been the target of ruthless artillery fire. It was there that the Russians first bombed and then took over a nuclear power plant.
