David Beckham handed control of his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor 'risking her life' to help new mums and babies.
The former footballer, who has 71.4 million followers on the social media site, said he wanted to highlight the 'amazing work' of medical staff operating amid the Russian invasion.
Iryna, who is head of the regional perinatal centre and a child anaesthesiologist in working in the city of Kharkiv, posted footage and images to Beckham's Instagram Stories throughout Sunday, showing how the war had affected the work of her team.
Read more:
She said: "Today I’m going to show you how we work in times of war and who we have become during these war days." Iryna shared videos showing a basement where pregnant women and new mothers were evacuated to during the first days of the invasion, an intensive care unit where babies are being treated and oxygen generators donated by Unicef.
Iryna, identified only by her first name, 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." 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'. Former Manchester United, Real Madrid and England star Beckham, 46, has been an ambassador for Unicef since 2005.
He urged his followers to donate to the charity, which is working in Ukraine to provide families with access to clean water and food, ensure child protections services continue and assess the refugee situation in neighbouring countries. He said: "Thanks to your donations, the oxygen generators they have received are helping newborns survive in appalling conditions."
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, has been the target of Russian attacks for some three weeks.
Read more about the war in Ukraine:
Also read:
Click here for the latest headlines from the Manchester Evening News
