Boy who fled Ukraine alone with just a phone number written on hand reunited with mother

He said he is just "happy to be safe".

An 11-year-old boy who fled Ukraine alone with nothing but his passport and a phone number written on his hand has been reunited with his mother. Hassan Pisecká travelled over 600 miles from Zaporizhzhia to the Slovakian border after Russian troops attacked the nuclear power plant in his city. His mum, Yulia, was forced to stay behind in Ukraine to care for his elderly grandmother who is disabled. Now, both women, along with the family dog, have made the journey to Slovakia too. Speaking to The Sun, Yulia said: "The train ride was very difficult. Hundreds were crammed in a single car. But we had to escape so our family could be back together. “I’d like to thank everyone from my heart. We have to start from scratch. We lost everything we’ve had but we’re healthy.” This is not the first time the family have had to start a new life. Years ago, they fled war-torn Syria, leaving behind Hassan's father who sadly died. Slovakian police said: "They lost everything again but this time the war didn’t take anyone away from them. They are together and that’s all that matters.” Hassan made headlines earlier this month when he first arrived in Slovakia. Volunteers at the border were left stunned, hailing him for his "smile, fearlessness and determination”. Using the phone number written on his hand, they managed to contact other family members in Slovakia who had left before Hassan.

After he was reunited with four of his older siblings, Hassan said he was just "happy to be safe".

The five siblings later spoke to Good Morning Britain of their joy at being reunited. Translating his words, his sister said: "He says the most important is to be in the place where he has family.

"He likes this city because it's safe. He doesn't know about the future because he doesn't know about the situation in Ukraine.

"He is not thinking about the future, he just wants to be with us."

Hassan said the scariest part of his journey was travelling in a "very, very full" train carriage surrounded by strangers.