Slovakian authorities hailed an 11-year Ukrainian boy a hero after traveling from Ukraine alone with only a passport, plastic bag, and telephone number scribbled on his hand. The boy escaped Zaporizhzhia, which nearly had a nuclear catastrophe after a projectile set a massive power plant on fire.
Roman Mikulec, Slovakia's interior minister, said that the 11year-old boy, Hassan, has shown determination, courage, and fearlessness that sometimes adults do not have. Mikulec personally met with the boy who traveled hundreds of miles by train on his own.
Tearful reunion online
When the boy arrived at the Slovakia border, customs officials and volunteers used a telephone number written on his hand to get in touch with his relatives in Bratislava, the Slovakian capital, and he was reunited with them.
In a video posted by Slovakian authorities, the boy's mother, Yulia Pisetskaya, said that she was a widow. She could not leave Zaporizhzhia as she had to care for her mother, who could not move independently. Hence, the boy's mother sent him alone to travel to Slovakia.
Pisetskaya said in a video that she was grateful that they saved the life of a child. She added that Slovakia might be a small country, but people have big hearts.
Grim situation in Ukraine
Meanwhile, the situation in Ukraine is getting grimmer. Efforts to establish evacuation corridors have faltered, and Russian attacks left thousands of residents without water, heat, or natural gas.
Since February 24, the U.N. has recorded 406 deaths and 801 injuries among the Ukrainian population. On Sunday, eight people were killed during a Russian shelling as hundreds of civilians gathered near the Irpin bridge while attempting to flee the town.
The Mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushyn, said that a family died in front of his eyes, two adults and two small children. He said that although part of Irpin has been captured, they will continue to fight and not surrender.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia had attacked hospitals, schools, and homes in Ukraine. The country is also experiencing critical drug shortages, and neonatal wards have been moved underground for shelter from the bombing.
WHO Fears of Health Crises in Neighboring Countries
Reuters reported that 1.7 million have fled the country since the war started. More than one million have fled to Poland from Ukraine, while around 700,000 have gone to neighboring countries like Romania and Moldova. The United Nations estimates that about four million people may ultimately flee the country in the following days to come.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the massive exodus may cause regional health catastrophe in addition to the death toll caused by the fighting. Healthcare crises like lack of access to hospitals and treatment, outbreaks of disease, and malnutrition will kill more people than bombs and bullets in wartime.
WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said the neighboring countries like Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Moldova were coping. But he said that this is the situation for now. He added that "health systems have a breaking point, and the situation is unpredictable."
