A Ukrainian journalist traversed Kyiv Oblast to look at the ways veterinarians and volunteers are caring for animals who have been left behind as Ukrainians flee the area due to Russian attacks, as seen in footage released by Ukrainian Witness. The video, released on March 15, follows Vitaliy Deyneha, the founder of the Ukrainian Witness project, as he visits people in Kyiv Oblast who stayed in the region to look after its pets. He says the video was “about people remaining humane in the most complicated situation,” according to a translation provided by Ukrainian Witness. Addressing the viewer, he says, “I don’t know, I hope it melts your heart a little.” In the video, a veterinarian at a clinic in Kyiv says, “In the first two days of the war, the most popular request regarding veterinarian service was euthanasia. It was horrible.” He said that in those first two days, “many pets died in the cellars or on the road with their owners,” as the stress caused lung edema in pets and people did not have the necessary medicine. “Our colleagues in Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy are helping our pets now,” he said. The man said some veterinarians in these countries have treated Ukrainian pets free of charge. Deyneha then visits a pet shelter in Vyshneve, a city close to Kyiv, to find out how the pets are doing there. He follows a crew saving a cat and a squirrel from an apartment building, where he said they had been “screaming for over a week.” Deyneha travels to Irpin and interviews a dog handler whose service dog locates people during rescue efforts. Then, while interviewing a man who helps evacuate people and animals from dangerous areas, a loud noise is heard and the crew and interviewee briefly lie down on the road for protection. Credit: Ukrainian Witness via Storyful
