We are deeply relieved to tell you that our three Ukrainian animal welfare volunteers captured by the Russian army in July have been released. The volunteers were distributing NFA dog food in the war zone alongside our partner, Vetmarket Pluriton when they were taken prisoner.
The team members had been delivering food to starving animals in heavily bombarded Lysychansk and were on their way to evacuate 400 dogs from the war-torn city when they were captured moments before reaching their destination.
“We were on our way with the purpose of evacuating a dog shelter,” recounted one of the volunteers. “We entered a grey zone where we were stopped by armed men. At that time, we were also wearing bulletproof vests. They stopped us, aggressively pointing arms at us from all sides.”
The volunteers, two men and a woman, were brutally interrogated and beaten by the Russians and suffered constant ill treatment during their captivity. We are not yet allowed to share details of how their release was achieved because they are still in Russian-occupied Luhansk. We can say that one volunteer is seriously ill and receiving critical care. All are suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and have a long road to recovery. With your help, we hope to finance their physical and psychological rehabilitation following their nightmare capture and imprisonment by Russian soldiers.
One of Vetmarket’s vehicles was confiscated by the Russians upon the team’s capture. These vehicles are vital for our partner to continue its lifesaving feeding and evacuation missions for Ukraine’s animal victims. We have already provided Vetmarket with one rescue vehicle and if we can raise the funds, we will do everything in our power to provide Vetmarket with a replacement vehicle for the one seized by the Russians.
Please donate to Network for Animals today so that we can continue to work alongside brave people such as these, who go to great lengths to help animals in need.
Banner credit: Vetmarket