A desperate Ukrainian mum scrawled her daughter’s details on the tot’s back in case they were separated in the war.
Sasha Makoviy, 33, wanted to ensure that rescuers could reunite two-year-old Vira with family as Russian forces closed in on Kyiv.
She said: “I thought if I would die she could find who she is and from what family she’s come. Maybe to find some familiar people who could take care of her.
“I decided to put the information on Vira’s back because I was really scared.
“She is the most precious thing in my life so I couldn’t imagine if we lost each other.”
Sasha wrote Vira’s name, date of birth and family phone numbers on her skin as the pair prepared to flee their Kyiv home on the first day of the Russian invasion, amid fears the capital would be taken. She also placed a hand-written card in her daughter’s jacket, with similar details.
Speaking of the moment she scribbled on Vira in pen, Sasha added “I was shaking so much that all the words were horribly written. But it’s so strange that in the 21st century I have to do this kind of thing.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s so horrible.”
After sharing the photo of little Vira on social media, artist Sasha has received an outpouring of support from other Ukrainian parents who did the same for their children.
Some stitched contact information into their youngsters’ clothes and made bracelets for them with emergency numbers, while others also placed
details in their jacket pockets.
Sasha added: “Firstly the photo was shared by some of my friends and then it was shared between Ukrainians.
“It’s really touching them because thousands of other parents had to do this.
“One of my followers wrote to me in messages that she even put the words, ‘Please take care of my baby.’
“She wrote it on the baby, just in case. It’s what we all feel in our country right now.”
One parent revealed they did the same as Sasha, writing: “On the first day of the war I did the same for my son who is three years old.
“And although we are now with him in England, the paper is always with him.”
Sasha and Vira have since escaped to safety in the south of France. But she misses her home in Ukraine.
She said: “I had in Kyiv everything I need. A beautiful life, a peaceful life.
“I even did the daily routine while we were packing our things to leave.
“I did some things like making the bed and washing the dishes because I couldn’t even realise it was for real and we had to leave our home.”
Sasha told how she and Vira had been given “a lot of help” in her new home and the “people are so nice”, but her anxiety level remains high.
She added: “Even here in France, when we are walking in the country with Vira, every moment I’m just scared about something like mines.”
