I believe the soldier’s name is Yaroslav Lutsyshyn. It appears that he has decided to do his bit (a lot) for animal welfare during this ghastly war and he is videoing his exploits and uploading the videos to TikTok which allows me to show you one of his latest episodes. As you can see it shows a pile of puppies together with a young newborn kitten and I believe her mother. The kitten, adult cat and puppies are all together keeping warm and protecting each other. In a subsequent video we see them being fed.
This guy has a tender heart. Obviously. But it is very apparent in the way he talks to these vulnerable animals. They could not be more vulnerable than this; uncared for, huddled together against the elements in the middle of a bloody war. It is almost too ghastly to think about.
The comments indicate the admiration that people have for him. For example, one said “Adorable. You guys are so awesome.”
The man has been rescuing stray animals in this war-torn country and one visitor to his TikTok page said: “The author is the sweetest person in the universe”.
Although many Ukrainian citizens in fleeing to a safe sanctuary in Poland and other adjacent countries took their pets with them, many did not. They’ve been abandoned. Many have died due to starvation or they have been killed by Russian soldiers who have, it has been reported, killed and eaten them because they were not provided with sufficient rations to engage in a prolonged war. Yes, more horrible images and thoughts are conjured up.
A veterinary assistant at a rescue centre in Ukraine, Kate Klymenko, in speaking to the Mirror newspaper said: “Due to the war, there are so many abandoned dogs and cats in Ukraine now. A lot of infrastructure doesn’t exist anymore and some shelters were destroyed”.
She said that the usual services of animal rescue centres in Ukraine have stopped because of the war. This, understandably, has led to a great deal of animal suffering.
This Ukrainian soldier is doing his best to help plug the gap in animal welfare in Ukraine but it is a flood of problems. In an earlier post I reported that an estimated 300,000 animals have died in the war so far.
The causes of death are wide and varied including shelters being shelled and dogs dying of heart attacks through fear and horse stables being shelled leading to catastrophic death. It seems that the Russians deliberately targeted these facilities to instil fear in the population. They think that they can force Ukrainians to submit to their will through fear. It is why the Russians target blocks of flats. A war crime but they don’t give a damn. It is barbaric behavior.
However, Putin has learned that he has made a big mistake in that regard as the Ukrainians are resolute.
Below are some more pages on Ukraine.
If you are Ukrainian and by some miracle you are reading this, please bring your pets with you. Most European countries have temporarily suspended the need for a veterinary passport. There are vets and animal rescue groups present at the Polish and Rumanian borders.
You’ve posted about this type of cat before but here’s a short video clip of one. Starts at 6:08 watch how this cat walks, like a lion.
Yes, I hate him as much. Goddam it the world hates him unless you are a Serbian or a Chinese politician. It feels like the world is going mad.
Those poor kittens are being crushed by the puppies. I wish he would find momma a place away from the puppies. I hate Putin so much for what he’s done.