Boy, 11, who travelled 600 miles across Ukraine alone reunites with his family in Slovakia

A brave boy who travelled 600 miles across Ukraine on his own has had an emotional reunion with his family in Slovakia.

Hassan Pisecka, 11, had only his passport, a plastic bag, and his brother’s telephone number written on his hand as he made the huge trek from his hometown of Zaporizhzhia to the Slovakian border to escape the war in Ukraine.

His mother, Julia, stayed in Zaporizhzhia, where Russian troops struck a nuclear power plant earlier this month, to care for her elderly mother who was not able to flee.

According to a post on the Policia Slovenskej republiky Facebook page, Hassan spent over a day on the train.

Having made his way to the border, officials helped Hassan cross into Slovakia after they were won over by his “smile, fearlessness and determination, worthy of a true hero”.

Hassan was reunited with his siblings in Slovakien capital Bratislava after they were contacted using the phone number on his hand and a note that was tied to his waist.

Slovakia’s interior minister, Roman Mikulec, said that Hassan “has shown huge determination, courage and fearlessness that sometimes adults don't have".

Watch: Ukrainian refugees take shelter at Polish train stations as they flee war

His mother eventually decided that the Russian bombing was too much and escaped her hometown with her grandmother and dog and they all made it to Slovakia this week – where they were finally reunited with Hassan.

Ms Pisecka said the train ride out of Ukraine “was very difficult”, but “we had to escape so our family could be back together”.

She added: “We have to start from scratch. We lost everything we've had but we're healthy.”

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Hassan said the scariest part of his journey was being on a crowded train and surrounded by strangers.

His sister, who translated for Hassan, told the programme: “The train was very, very full, there were 300 people in one carriage.

“The kids and the people were sitting in the hall and everyone was talking in foreign languages and he wasn't understanding so that was the scariest [part of the journey] for him.”

One of his siblings said that Hassan “can’t even make tea by himself” and he was “very, very worried when he was going to cross the border by himself”.

His older sister said Hassan “doesn’t know about the future”, adding: “He is not thinking about the future, he just wants to be with us.”