#top

Leading animal rescue organisations in Ukraine

#org

URSA

URSA is a public organization dedicated to protecting animal rights which, since the beginning of the war, has fed over 150,000 animals in the conflict zones. The URSA team, risking their lives under constant shelling, evacuated over 100 animals from the combat zone and established their own center for rescued animals. This small yet comfortable center provides a safe haven for the innocent victims of human cruelty and war. Here, the four-legged companions work with dog trainers and animal psychologists, as they learn to trust people once again and await their chance to find their new, loving families.

UAnimals

UAnimals is Ukrainian humanitarian movement, which was established in 2016 by community activist Oleksandr Todorchuk. Believing that every life is precious, UAnimals advocate for the welfare and rights of animals, and aim to make Ukraine free from animal cruelty. Since the beginning of Russian invasion of Ukraine, they actively help animals within war zones: evacuate, provide feed and medicines for shelters.

About the documentary

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine and bombed Kyiv, film director Stas Kapralov's family dog, Nika, ran away... Determined to find her, Stas set out into the devastation and documents his journey as he joins volunteers helping to rescue animals. Becoming a part of their cause, Stas films the trials and successes of the volunteers as he continues his search for Nika, which takes him to the 'Sirus' Shelter, the largest in Europe, housing 3,500 animals, and still receiving emaciated and hungry dogs daily. Meeting Alexandra, the director of the 'Sirus' shelter, she regularly risks her life to find food for the animals, and is determined to never abandon them. Alexandra's iron will inspires Stas, and even though he is unable to locate Nika at the shelter, he does not give up hope, deciding to take a more active role in helping the volunteers and other animals in need.

Joining forces with another volunteer, Olena, Stas documents and aids in the rescue of a blind and abandoned lion, Ruru, as she's brought across the Ukrainian border to Poland. Later, he meets Alex, a volunteer who helped Kyiv inhabitants escape the city at the start of the war, and now risks his life rescuing animals left behind by their owners... Among the rubble of a bombed and burned stables, Stas hears Yura's story, whose horses were like members of his family, many dying in the bombings, as he now searches for a safe home for them... In another instance, Stas journeys to Harkov, experiencing mortar shelling first-hand, as he becomes part of urgent evacuations of animals at a zoo actively being bombed, and where two volunteers had been killed in previous days...

What begins as a journey motivated by the disappearance of his dog, Nika, becomes a mission to document and aid in a humanitarian movement to help as many animals as possible in Ukraine. Documenting and participating in this journey, Stas discovers stories of altruism and humanity amidst the harshest landscape of war...  and by the end of his journey, Stas finally finds out what happened to his dog Nika.