Brave volunteers from Dnipro rescue animals from villages near the front line, facing drone attacks, artillery, and harsh conditions. They transport animals safely, often working long hours under dangerous circumstances.
Animal volunteers from Dnipro evacuate pets from frontline communities in the region every week. They save lives under attacks by FPV drones, artillery, and KABs. According to evacueer Serhiy, they currently have dozens of requests to rescue cats and dogs abandoned by their owners in villages near the front line.
Suspilne reporters followed the evacuations to see how they are carried out and what challenges volunteers face.
First, the team went to the village of Katerynivka to pick up an Alabai dog left by its owners in a locked enclosure.
“The distance to the front line is approximately 12–15 kilometers. So it’s relatively safe, but there’s still a chance that a stray FPV drone, a Shahed, or a KAB could reach us,” said animal volunteer Serhiy.
He added that they receive dozens of requests each week to rescue animals from frontline settlements.
“You could go out every day and fill a whole vehicle with animals. But there are already places you simply can’t reach. Shelters are overcrowded, so we have to do a lot of sorting. Today, we had to call on veterinarian Arseniy’s family to help us pick up a large dog. It was supposed to be put down. There are many situations like this, and sometimes we just can’t take the animals. Some are aggressive, avoid people, hide, or can’t be handled if untied,” the man said.
The volunteers’ next stop is Vasylkivka, where they have two requests to evacuate animals.
“One man left and asked us to take two dogs and four cats. In another case, people had left two cats with their neighbors, but now the neighbors are leaving too,” Serhiy said.
Local resident Anatoliy explained that the village is attacked by drones almost daily. His family decided to leave, but they cannot take the animals with them.
“Loud, of course, very loud. Drones fly here often, almost every day. One dog stays calm, but the other barks and can’t settle in the carrier as soon as drones are around. We’re getting ready to leave. What else can we do? Personally, I don’t see any progress. There are no peace talks yet. We evacuate slowly, so it doesn’t catch us by surprise,” the man explained.
“The situation in Vasylkivka is getting worse. All the neighbors have already left. Almost every night something hits a house. One landed in a neighbor’s shed, and two Shaheds fell in the fields behind,” local resident Volodymyr added.
Animal volunteer Arseniy explained that some animals are very afraid of explosions and hide. They may not come out for several days and may refuse food.
“That leads to exhaustion and dehydration. Stress accelerates all of this, affecting the cardiovascular system. It can cause heart attacks or strokes,” he said.
The volunteers’ final stop this time is Novomykolaivka in Zaporizhzhia region. The owner of two cats asked them to take the animals and deliver them to relatives. According to the woman, the security situation in the settlement is very difficult at the moment, with Shaheds attacking the village daily.
Challenges in their work
Animal volunteer Oleksandr noted that evacuations are currently complicated by weather conditions, including snow and ice.
“The speed that is so necessary in some areas is reduced. The risks increase,” he explained.
The volunteers said they leave for requests at 7 a.m. and return to Dnipro around midnight.
“We do this for free, so we end up going on weekends because everyone has their own job. This is the Dnipropetrovsk direction, Synelnykove district, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia. When you see the conditions the abandoned animals are in, that’s what’s most exhausting morally. Physically, you can rest and get new strength, but morally it can take a day or even a week to recover,” Oleksandr added.
Evacuation Stories
Evacueer Serhiy recalled that once the team was supposed to rescue a dog from a frontline community, but the volunteers didn’t make it in time.
“On the way, a woman called and said we didn’t need to come anymore. The dog had died. She said a KAB hit their house, and the dog was killed by the explosion,” Serhiy added.
They also remembered their last trip to pick up animals from Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region.
“When we arrived, we saw a burning car and smoke in some places. It was happening right then, right here — they were shelling us with artillery, and we managed to take cover. Drones started buzzing, and while we hid in the bushes, explosions were constantly happening around us, something kept landing nearby,” Serhiy said.
One of the evacuations a year and a half ago took place in Selydove, Donetsk region. At that time, the city was just two kilometers from the front line.
“Now, 20–30 kilometers is already a dangerous distance. The enemy is using a lot of FPV drones, Mavics with fiber-optic control, which can reach 40–50 kilometers. At that range, they don’t distinguish between military, civilians, or volunteers. Our partners at UAnimals have already had, I think, three vehicles hit, and people were injured by FPV drones,” Oleksandr explained.
