Ukrainian refugee, 11, crosses Slovak border alone

An 11-year-old boy from Ukraine has crossed the border into Slovakia with just a plastic bag, a passport and a telephone number written on his hand, Slovak police said Sunday.

"He came all alone from Zaporizhzhia because his parents had to stay in Ukraine," police spokeswoman Denisa Bardyova told AFP.

Volunteers took care of the boy, who arrived on Saturday, and provided him with food and drink.

An 11-year-old boy from Ukraine arrived alone in Slovakia with only a bag, his passport and a phone number written on his hand. This is the future we give to our children.
Today is not your child, but it could have been!!! #UkraineRussianWar pic.twitter.com/Y9Zg5jKK60

— Andreea-Alexandra Stan (@AndreeaStnn) March 6, 2022

The boy's mother had put her son on a train to Slovakia since she could not leave because she has to look after her own disabled mother.

"I am very grateful that they saved the life of my child," the mother, Yulia Pisetskaya, said in a video message posted on Facebook on Sunday.

"In your small country, there are people with big hearts," the mother said.

The police said on Facebook that the boy "won everybody's hearts with his smile, fearlessness and determination, worthy of a real hero".

Local volunteers have managed to contact the boy's relatives in Slovakia, who have now come for him and brought him to the capital Bratislava.