David Beckham has handed over control of his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor working in the besieged city of Kharkiv. The former footballer, a Unicef ambassador since 2005, allowed Dr Iryna, a child anaesthesiologist and head of the regional perinatal centre, to document her work amid the conflict.
Throughout Sunday, Beckham's 71.5 million followers saw videos and photographs of Iryna's daily routine, including the cramped basement where pregnant women and new mothers were evacuated on the first day of the Russian invasion. She also showed newborns in the intensive care unit relying on oxygen generators donated by Unicef.
In one clip, Iryna introduced Yana and her son Mykhailo, who was born with breathing problems and whose family home was destroyed. Iryna said she now works '24/7', adding: 'We are probably risking our lives, but we don't think about it at all. We love our work … Doctors and nurses here, we worry, we cry, but none of us will give up.'
Beckham urged his followers to donate to Unicef, which is providing clean water, food, and medical supplies in Ukraine. 'Thanks to your donations, the oxygen generators they have received are helping newborns survive in appalling conditions,' he said. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, has been under constant Russian shelling for three weeks.
