W ar destroys everything – lands, infrastructures, economies, societies, and families. While it affects people of all ages, children are particularly susceptible to the negative effects of armed conflict. Separation from parents – or worse – loss of parents due to war can lead to long-term physical and psychological consequences that can have a damaging impact on their lives. But this 11-year-old boy from Ukraine clings on to hope and his love for his family to brave through the threats of w ar.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022, had resulted to at least 19k dea ths and approximately 10 million people displaced. Needless to say, the ongoing war has brought disaster and terror to the entire country.
While many Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries, some prefer to stay behind for some reasons. All Ukrainians have their own terrifying experiences of the invasion. But despite the dreadful situation, a Ukrainian boy named Hassan served as a tiny ray of light coming through the dark clouds of uncertainty. 11-Year-Old Boy With Just A Phone Number On His Hand Traveled 600 Miles To Reunite With His Mother
Ukrainian Boy Traveled Over 600 Miles Away From Home To Reunite With Siblings In Slovakia
Hassan’s bravery has captured the hearts of people all around the world as his inspiring story was covered by social media. The boy lives in Zaporizhzhia with his mom and grandma. All of his siblings (oldest brother and three older sisters) are studying in Slovakia, a nearby country that shares about a 60-mile border with Ukraine to its east.
Zaporizhzhia is the home of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. So when the Russian forces recently atta cked the nuclear power facility, most citizens of Zaporizhzhia have decided to flee the city before the worst could happen.
Hassan’s siblings coordinated with the Slovakian Interior Ministry to ensure their family’s safe entry to Slovakia. Unfortunately, their ailing grandma couldn’t move and their mom had to stay behind to look after her and their family dog. Yulia Pisetskaya, their mother, had decided to save Hassan and put him on a train to Slovakia on his own. With nothing but a passport and the phone number of his brother written on his hand, Hassan sets off 600 miles from Ukraine on the evacuation train filled with around 300 evacuees in one carriage.
11-Year-Old Hassan Crossed The Border With Nothing But A Passport And A Phone Number Scribbled On His Hand
The brave boy showed great courage and fearlessness despite being cram med in a carriage along with hundreds of strangers talking in different languages. After more than a day on the train, they finally arrived at the Slovakian border where they were welcomed with food and shelter. Volunteers at the border were particularly amazed at Hassan for having endured the grueling trip on his own. What’s more amazing was that the boy didn’t show even a tiny hint of fear as he cordially showed the phone number on his hand.
The Boy Was Welcomed At The Slovakian Border With Food
The Slovakian Interior Ministry featured the heartwarming story of Hassan on their Facebook page. After sharing some photos of him, people began asking for updates on whether he has reunited with his siblings. The Slovakian Interior Ministry assured that the boy has finally reunited with his siblings. Although they were grateful to the Slovak customs and volunteers for their brother’s safe entry to Slovakia, they were still worried about their mom, grandma, and their dog who were left behind in Ukraine.
The Slovak Police Force contacted Hassan’s mom to inform her that his son has safely crossed the border and is currently with his siblings. Relieved by the great news, Yulia could only express her gratitude for those who helped his son along the way. The Slovak police tried to convince them to leave Zaporizhzhia at once as the threat of Russian bombing on the city is in the wind.
However, Yulia couldn’t leave her sick mother and their dog behind. After assuring an easy way for three of them to cross the border, Yulia eventually agreed to flee. With the help of the Slovakian Interior Ministry and the Slovak Police Force, they were able to arrive at the border safely.
On their Facebook page, the Slovak Police Force shared the video of their arrival at the border by a van. They finally met with the police and after their registration, were transported to Bratislava to reunite with her children.
Mom Finally Reunites With Her Children In Slovakia
It was a truly touching scene when Yulia hugged and kissed her children. And you can see how proud she was of his brave son for making the journey all by himself. Even the dog looks exceedingly happy upon seeing them. Hassan’s story somehow gave a spark of hope in the midst of this devastating armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
It’s hea rtbreaking and hear twarming at the same time because Hassan’s family has lost everything to war. In fact, this isn’t the first time they’ve ran away from war. The Slovak Police Force revealed that the family esca ped Syria years ago. Sadly, the father didn’t make it.
They settled in Yulia’s homeland in Ukraine and the Russian invasion forced them to escape the claws of war once again. Despite these ordeals, Yulia is just thankful that the Russian invasion didn’t take anyone from her and that’s all that matters.
