Brave Girl, 12, Leaves War Torn Ukraine All On her Own To Reach Foster Family In Spain

This brave 12-year-old girl has left war-torn Ukraine all on her own to try to reach her foster family in Spain, where she can enjoy a normal childhood.

Nikol Makarova lived in Kyiv with her family. However, when Russia invaded Ukraine, her mum knew she had to get the youngster out.

Little Nikol travelled the first few kilometres out of the capital with her grandmother and completed her journey to the Ukraine-Moldova border all on her own.

Nikol Makarova, 12, (pictured) travels alone from Ukraine to Spain to escape war. (@paula.parrondogarcia/Newsflash)

Her family paid the equivalent of EUR 4,770 (GBP 3,940) for her to be taken to the border by bus, travelling alongside four families she did not know.

She is now all alone in Moldova with just her birth certificate and no passport while her Spanish foster family tries to bring her to their home in Gijon.

Nikol has already spent several summers in the northern Spanish city as part of the ‘Vacaciones en Paz’ (‘Holidays in Peace’) project, which the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

Nikol Makarova, 12, (right) who travels alone from Ukraine to Spain to escape war, was pictured with her foster mother, Paula Parrondo, (left) in Spain. (@paula.parrondogarcia/Newsflash)

Her foster mum Paula Parrondo told Onda Cero: “We want the girl to come to Spain, she has her home here. We are trying to contact the Spanish consulate in Moldova.”

Nikol is currently being taken care of by a young woman named Cristina, whom Paula found through an NGO, while she works out how to bring her to Spain.

It is not an easy task, given there are no flights between the two countries and Nikol’s lack of documentation will make it hard for her to cross over into Romania.

Nikol Makarova, 12, who travels alone from Ukraine to Spain to escape war, was pictured with her foster family in Spain. You might consider blurring the image of the child. (@paula.parrondogarcia/Newsflash)

Paula and her family are even considering reaching the youngster by car themselves if they cannot find another alternative.

The foster mum told El Comercio: “I can’t imagine what it must be like to send your daughter alone to the other side of the world in the middle of a war.”

In recent developments, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to create humanitarian corridors. However, there has been no breakthrough yet on a ceasefire.