Ukrainian Refugee, 14, Reaches U.S. After Fleeing Nation Alone

A 14-year-old Ukrainian boy recently arrived in the U.S. after fleeing the country alone following Russia's invasion late last month.

Illia Ishchenko-Leshchynskyl is now staying with his aunt in Southern California, and has been there for a little more than a week, KABC-TV reported. He told the station that his trip lasted three days.

"This was so long and hard for me, but I'm here, and that's so good," he said.

The Russia-Ukraine war has caused 10 million people to flee Ukraine in the weeks since Russia launched its attack, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said in a Twitter post Sunday. Of those, more than 1.5 million children have fled since the start of the invasion, according to UNICEF.

The teen's aunt, Olena Zdorovska, told KABC that her sister called her and told her that she was going to put her son on a bus and send him to stay with her in the U.S.

It was an emotional moment when he finally arrived, Zdorovska said.

"Cry, cry, cry cry, and just next day we start to speak," Zdorovska said. "We didn't speak a lot first evening. I was very happy to hug him. And I was really afraid when he was in the bus."

Ishchenko-Leshchynskyl said that the rest of his family is scattered throughout the globe, KABC reported. His mother, grandmother and little brother are in Berlin, Germany, but his father has remained in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

"My whole family, except my dad, is in a [safe] place," he said.

He said that he misses his parents and brother and has kept in touch with them over the phone, according to KABC. He added that he's "sad" about being separated from them but is happy to be in the U.S.

His family's decision to send him away at the onset of the deadly bombings reflects a larger pattern among Ukrainians faced with a decision between leaving home and potentially risking injury or death from the attacks. Even the prospect of receiving aid has not deterred some from leaving, Grandi said in a tweet.

"Humanitarians are doing all they can in Ukraine to reach people in need, often in dangerous circumstances. However, people continue to flee because they are afraid of bombs, airstrikes and indiscriminate destruction," Grandi said. "Aid is vital but can't stop fear. Only stopping the war can."

Newsweek reached out to the UNHCR for comment but did not hear back by publication time.

Update 3/21/22, 11:18 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and background.