Dogs and cats in the war-torn Donbas region of Ukraine are dying in their thousands as Russian soldiers push forward, turning towns and villages to rubble as they advance.
Local people are forced to flee, leaving their pets behind – a virtual death sentence for the animals, either by starvation, illness or air strikes.
As enemy forces rain down death and destruction, animals trapped in the war zone have nowhere to hide.
In this carnage, countless animals are starving, terrified, wounded and alone. Right now, we are working with our partner, Animal Rescue Kharkiv (ARK), to save dogs and cats in the Donbas region, particularly Pokrovsk.
AI-generated map showing Russian advances in areas where we rescue animals. Credit: DeepStateMAP
But in Pokrovsk, every rescue mission is incredibly dangerous, because Russian drones attack relentlessly during the day. We have already lost one animal rescue vehicle that was blown up – thankfully, we were able to save the seven dogs on board.
While the team was on another recent trip to the frontlines, Russians attacked a civilian car, killing the driver and injuring two others. Our team put their animal rescue mission on hold to rush the survivors to hospital, before returning to the battle-torn region to save dogs from the war zone.
Our teams are among the very few who venture to the war’s frontlines to save dogs and cats.
Because of Russian drone attacks our team has to operate under the cover of darkness; these puppies were rescued by torchlight. Credit: ARK
Death can rain from the sky without warning
The situation is so bad that we can now only conduct rescue missions at night, and even then death can rain from the sky without warning.
For animals in places like this, our team is the last chance of salvation, and they are so grateful when we find them. These are not tough street dogs and cats used to scavenging for food and shelter – they are much-loved pets who are bewildered, traumatized and starving.
Often, we only find a dog because our team hears piteous whimpering from a burnt-out building, and we have to dig our way through rubble to save them.
Credit: NFA/David Barritt
Each rescue mission costs $3,500 (around £2,810), and it’s worth every penny to save dogs and cats from this hell.
Every minute we delay is a tragedy for the animals. Please donate generously today to help us save Ukraine’s animal war victims.
