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Reuters
Reuters
Politics
Krisztina Than

Ukrainian boy reaches safety in Hungary in time for his 2nd birthday

Svetlana, 28, a Ukrainian woman from Kyiv, stands with her son Semyon as they arrive at the Hungarian border village of Tiszabecs, Hungary March 1, 2022 in this still image taken from a video. Gergely Papai/REUTERS TV via REUTERS

Clutching her son dressed in a thick green snowsuit to protect him from the freezing cold, 28-year-old Ukrainian Svetlana smiled faintly when asked his name as they arrived at a shelter in Hungary.

"His name is Semyon. He will be two years old in two days."

Svetlana, 28, a Ukrainian woman from Kyiv, holds her son Semyon as they arrive at the Hungarian border village of Tiszabecs, Hungary March 1, 2022 in this still image taken from a video. Gergely Papai/REUTERS TV via REUTERS

She, Semyon, her older son Dmitry and her mother finally made it across Ukraine's border to Hungary on Tuesday, after a perilous, long drive from Kyiv.

As she emerged from the bus that brought her from the border crossing to the shelter in Tiszabecs, Svetlana fell into the arms of her older sister. She had travelled to Hungary from Slovenia to meet her and cried out with relief as she saw Svetlana and her nephews.

The two sisters embraced, holding each other tightly for a long time. Then they put Svetlana's lone suitcase, containing her few possessions from home, into the boot of a car.

Svetlana, 28, a Ukrainian woman from Kyiv, is hugged by her sister as she arrives at the Hungarian border village of Tiszabecs, Hungary March 1, 2022 in this still image taken from a video. Gergely Papai/REUTERS TV via REUTERS

Semyon's father will not be with them to celebrate his son's birthday in safety. After driving his loved ones to the border, he turned back into Ukraine.

Ukraine is urging men to stay in the country and fight and has imposed rules which stop those aged 18-60 from crossing the borders.

"We hope that everyone will help us in Kyiv, in Ukraine because its a catastrophe," said Svetlana.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

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