11-Year-Old Ukrainian Boy Becomes 'Hero of the Night' After Making His Way to Slovakia Alone

Refugees flee to Slovakia amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine.Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

As Europe’s refugee crisis escalates due to Russia’s deadlyinvasion of Ukraine, one boy’s solo passage to safety is spreading across the globe.

“He came all alone because his parents had to stay in Ukraine,” the Slovak Ministry of Interior posted on Facebook, according to CNN. “Volunteers took care of him, took him to a warm place and gave him food and drink.”

“He won over everyone with his smile, fearlessness and determination worthy of a real hero,” the Slovak Ministry of Interior said, per the news outlet.

The boy — whose name has not been released — lived in Zaporizhzhia, a city located on the Dnieper River in the southeast of Ukraine.

Irpin, Ukraine.ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty

CNN said it couldn’t independently confirm the story, and additional details about his family in Ukraine are not available.

He is just one of more than 1.7 million refugees who have fled Ukraine in recent days,according to figures from the United Nations. A UN spokesperson said the nations receiving refugees have shown"tremendous solidarity and hospitality."

“The least I can do is help people whowereable to escape,” April — a 20-year-old native of Ukraine who has lived in Germany for a year — told NPR of herefforts to assist Ukrainian refugees. “It’s very important for me that my fellow Ukrainians feel welcome here, especially the children.”

Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24, marking the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.

With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyycalled for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.

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Putin has insisted that Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy has vowed not to bend.

“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”

source: people.com