Against all odds: Child from Ukraine travels 1 000 km alone to get to safety

Now here’s a story for the ages: An 11-year-old boy travelled 1 000 km from Ukraine to Slovakia – all by himself!

In the midst of the Russia and Ukraine conflict, an 11-year-old boy was sent on a journey via train from Ukraine to Slovakia with just a backpack, plastic bag, a passport, a message in a folded note and a phone number written on his hand.

The young boy was from Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine, where Russian forces captured a nuclear power facility last week. The boy’s parents reportedly had to stay back in Ukraine to take care of a sick relative.

“The Biggest Hero”

According to NDTV, after completing an awe-inspiring journey, the boy won over the Slovakian officials “with his smile, fearlessness and determination, worthy of a true hero”, the Slovakian Interior Ministry said in a Facebook post, hailing him “The Biggest Hero of Last night”.

The boy arrived in Slovakia with the piece of folded paper within his passport, which actually turned out to be a message from his mother thanking the Slovakian government and the police for taking care of him.

In a Facebook post, the Slovakian Interior Ministry commended the child’s “fearlessness and determination”.

“With a plastic bag, passport and phone number written on his hand, he came completely alone because his parents had to stay in Ukraine. The volunteers took care of him willingly, took him to a warm place and provided him with food and drinks, which they packed for him on his next journey.” he said.

Thanks to the note and number written on his hand, officials at the border were able to contact the boy’s relatives in the capital, Bratislava, and hand him over. In a video provided by Slovakian police, the boy’s mother praised the Slovakian government and police for taking care of her child.

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