David Beckham's incredible act for Ukrainian doctor amid war
Sporting icon David Beckham has used his massive global influence to lend support to Ukraine in its bloody war against Russia.
The football legend this week handed control of his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor working in the city of Kharkiv, which has been badly damaged by invading Russian forces.
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Beckham has a staggering 71.4 million followers on his Instagram account, and said the initiative was aimed at highlighting the “amazing work” of medical staff operating under brutal circumstances in Ukraine.
The doctor named Iryna - who is head of the regional perinatal centre and a child anaesthesiologist - posted clips and images to Beckham's Instagram Stories throughout Sunday in Ukraine, showing how the war had affected her team and the work they are trying to do.
“Today I’m going to show you how we work in times of war and who we have become during these war days,” she said.
Iryna shared videos showing a basement where pregnant women and new mothers were evacuated to during the first days of the invasion.
The footage also focused on an intensive care unit where babies are being treated, with oxygen generators donated by Unicef.
Iryna, identified only by her first name, said she now works “24/7” and that, “We are probably risking our lives, but we don’t think about it at all. We love our work.”
David Beckham's incredible act for Ukraine
She also posted about Yana and her baby son Mykhailo, who was born on the second day of the war with breathing problems, and whose family home was destroyed during the fighting.
She said the child was “better now”.
Beckham - the Manchester United and England football legend - has been an ambassador for Unicef since 2005.
The 46-year-old urged his followers to donate to the humanitarian organisation, which is working in Ukraine to provide a range of services to families affected by the war.
This include providing families with access to clean water and food, ensuring child protections services continue and assessing the refugee situation in neighbouring countries.
“Thanks for you donations, the oxygen generators they have received are helping newborns survive in appalling conditions,” Beckham said.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, has been the target of relentless bombardment by Russian forces for several weeks.
The barrage of artillery shelling has left dozens of people dead and wounded, with large swathes of the city reduced to rubble.
A significant number of Kharkiv’s 1.5 million residents have been forced to flee, with the United Nations revealing that as many as 10 million people have evacuated their homes and sought refuge in other countries or other parts of Ukraine.
with agencies
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