The Russians blasted their shelter, yet Animal Rescue Kharkiv workers are still avoiding bullets to check on the animals and dogs who were left behind.
Animal Rescue Kharkiv
The Russians blasted their shelter, yet Animal Rescue Kharkiv workers are still avoiding bullets to check on the animals and dogs who were left behind.
Volunteers dash across Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, dodging artillery on a quest to save lives as Russian bombs rain down on the city. Family members who have fled the city send desperate messages to the operators at Animal Rescue Kharkiv: Our dog is still at home, our cat is stuck inside our flat.
Many Kharkiv citizens have already fled, risking their lives in the hope of finding a respite from the relentless bombing. Animal Rescue Kharkiv, on the other hand, decided to stay even before Russian soldiers stormed the city. Five canines were killed and another five were able to flee into the woods after Russian bombers hit the group's adoption center.
Before the conflict, our team determined that we would stay here and perform the work, and that we would not leave our city.We'll keep working and aiding the animals, one of the group's founders, Olga Ilyunina, told The Daily Beast.
The aftermath of a Russian airstrike on the adoption center of Animal Rescue Kharkiv. Five dogs were killed in the incident, according to volunteers, while another five ran into the countryside.
Kharkiv Animal Rescue
Taking care of the legions of cats, dogs, gerbils, parrots, and other furry remains of regular life is a struggle as the war destroys cities and uproots lives. But, while relief efforts focus on the country's trapped inhabitants, a parallel network of volunteers, activists, and rescue workers has banded together to try to protect Ukraine's pets from the Russian war machine.
Volunteers are under grave danger. Kharkiv is constantly shelled by artillery and bombarded by Russian fighter jets. Ilyunina reported last week over a shaky Telegram chat that a bomb went off minutes before she was able to get on the phone. The group's facilities have already been targeted.
"A bomb exploded in our adoption center, destroying five enclosures and killing five dogs." "Some of them got away, and we're looking for them," Ilyunin says. "The girl who was there [at the time] had no idea what was going on and was terrified to step outside when it happened."
When his owners fled the city, they left him in the apartment of a neighbor. After a bomb exploded in the building, Animal Rescue Kharkiv volunteers had to arrange foster care.
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Kharkiv Animal Rescue
Facebook groups in Ukraine have been flooded with posts about abandoned and missing pets in need since the crisis began. Users share photos of their cherished dogs and cats, pleading for anyone who can check on them, take them in, or at the very least leave food. Other photographs show anxious and perplexed pets found in bombed-out apartment buildings or wandering the streets, wearing collars and coats that testify to a more comfortable pre-war life.
Bayraktar, a large white bear dog, has been named the new mascot of Animal Rescue Kharkiv. After being hit by a car, he was discovered wandering the streets as a wounded stray. They took him to a vet and named him after the Turkish-made drones that the Ukrainian military is now using.
Ilyunina declares, "He's our hero."
Bayraktar, a dog named after a Turkish drone now in use by the Ukrainian military, is considered a hero by the volunteers. He was hit by a car, and he is now receiving medical treatment and looking for a family to adopt him.
Kharkiv Animal Rescue
The gang strives to come up with as many remedies as they can for the animals. Two drivers sprint around Kharkiv's streets in search of abandoned animals and try to place them with friends, neighbors, or anyone who is feeling generous.
"If no one replies or can aid the animal, we take it to our facility or our volunteers and workers take it to its home." Ilyunina quips, "Most of our workers now have roughly 20 animals."
Experts in disaster relief and animal rescue say it's critical to include pet care while devising an evacuation strategy.
"I observed it during the course of my ten years with Red Paw Relief." People will not leave their homes without their pets, putting our lives in danger. Jen Leary, a fireman and animal rescue expert, adds, "Some people will die attempting to save their dogs." Leary's group went to house fires to look for lost dogs and provide temporary lodging until the owners could get back on their feet.
After the Russian military hit the rescue group's adoption center, volunteers try to entice an injured dog.
Kharkiv Animal Rescue
Not only pet owners are placing themselves in danger; the network of volunteers working to keep supply lines open for them is as well. Anastasiia Yalanskaya, a Ukrainian animal rescue volunteer, was shot and killed by Russian troops as she attempted to give food to a dog shelter outside Kyiv, according to family members.
Staff at shelters in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine claim that the military are unconcerned about the needs of people and animals.
Sirius was Ukraine's largest animal sanctuary before the conflict, with approximately 3,000 dogs and 200 cats at its main campus north of Kyiv. The bunker is now in territory controlled by Russian troops who are laying siege to Kiev. Alexandra Mezinova, Sirius' founder, is still at the facility with only intermittent internet access, but one of the company's executives, Iryna Lozova, spoke to The Daily Beast with the help of a translator.
To be clear, the situation in the shelter is dire. Russian military have taken over the refuge and the communities surrounding it, according to Mezinova. Russian military have not allowed a humanitarian corridor in the area, much less one for the animals under Sirius' care, to allow supplies and people to flow in and out.
Sirius employees do their best with what they have, but the situation is severe. They only have a few food stocks left, Mezinova says. There is also a scarcity of water. They're attempting to draw water from a neighboring pond.
The owners of Busya the cat wanted to leave the city, but Busya ran up a tree and forced them to stay. Volunteers from Animal Rescue Kharkiv were successful in bringing the cat down.
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Shelters and rescue organizations across Ukraine have been forced to reconsider how they can continue to operate as a result of the fighting.
With the exception of feeding dogs, we've cut all of our programs, explains Olga Spektor of Happy Paw. Spektor established the animal welfare organization 12 years ago and has used the funds to care for stray animals and teach Ukrainian schoolchildren about the necessity of treating animals humanely.
Aside from the continual Russian attacks, Spektor claims that transportation is her group's major issue.
Some large shelters are located on Russian-controlled territory. They will not be able to convey food, water, or people, she claims. I'm baffled as to why Russian soldiers, who are also human, are unable to feed citizens and animals. They haven't broken any rules.
