Along with the estimated 3 million refugees who have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, there are also untold numbers of displaced pets. Volunteers even set up a special shelter near the Poland-Ukraine border to help care for them.
In this photo, a girl from Ukraine keeps her pet cat warm as she arrives at the Vysne Nemecke border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.
Bundled up
A Ukrainian woman with her dog is seen leaving war-torn Kyiv on March 6, 2022.
Many Ukrainians refused to leave their pets behind despite their difficult journeys.
Tongues out
Volodymyr Horobets, who fled the Russian invasion from Mariupol, Ukraine, holds his cat, Charly, before handing him over to a Latvian pet caretaker.
The caretaker, Rama Kreica and her crew of volunteers, have said they plan to evacuate abandoned or handed-over animals and give them shelter as long as needed in Latvia.
Tired family
A woman comforts her child as a pet dog looks on.
The family is seen at a refugee shelter in Beregsurany, Hungary, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on March 7, 2022.
Ready for travel
A French bulldog is seen during the evacuation of refugees who fled the Russian onslaught.
The dog was spotted in Uzhhorod, western Ukraine, on March 3, 2022.
Snuggle with Gabriel
Julia Lazarets plays with her cat, Gabriel, after fleeing Ukraine.
They had recently arrived at a train station in Przemysl, Poland, on March 8, 2022.
Polish vets to the rescue
Radoslaw Fedaczynski, a veterinarian and the owner of the Ada pet clinic in Przemysl, Poland, examines a 7-day-old goat from Ukraine.
The clinic is giving shelter and veterinary assistance for animals that lost their homes or were separated from their owners during the Russian war in Ukraine.
At a train station
A young refugee from Ukraine is seen at the main railway station in Krakow, Poland on March 11, 2022.
A furry pal takes a break from its carrying case.
A handful of a rescue
Dominik Nawa carries a dog rescued from Ukraine in his arms on an abandoned farm near the border on March 12, 2022.
After the Russian invasion, rescuers such as this one, in Medyka, Poland, saved abandoned animals from the country.
Dog in hand
A girl carries her pet as people wait after crossing the border from Ukraine at the checkpoint in Medyka, Poland.
The date: March 11, 2022.
Another rescue at the vet
Veterinarian Radoslaw Fedaczynski of the Ada pet clinic in Przemysl, Poland, examines an injured dog from Ukraine.
The clinic is giving shelter and veterinary assistance for animals that lost their homes or were separated from their owners in the war.
Ready to go
A Ukrainian refugee carries her pet chihuahua in a bag while waiting to board a bus.
They were among thousands crossing the border to Medyka, Poland, after the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
Long-distance travel
A student holds his pet cat after arriving at the airport in Chennai, India, on March 4, 2022, following an evacuation flight from Ukraine.
A family at the border
Kyryl (surname withheld), age 9, from Kyiv, carries his pet dog, Hugo, at the Hungarian border town of Zahony on a train that has come from Ukraine on March 2, 2022.
Refugees from Ukraine have fled into neighboring countries such as Hungary, forming long lines at border crossings.
Doggy bag
Refugees who arrived from Ukraine are seen at the main railway station in Krakow, Poland, on March 11, 2022.
The Russian invasion on Ukraine caused a mass exodus of refugees to Poland.
Bundled cat
A woman fleeing the conflict in Ukraine holds her pet cat at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania.
The date: March 5, 2022.
Rabbit on the run
A woman carries a pet rabbit as she exits a train arriving from Kyiv at the main train station in Przemysl, Poland, on February 23, 2022.
The picture was taken soon after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions in the east as independent republics and launched his invasion.
At a shelter
A woman fleeing from Ukraine is seen with a dog inside the temporary shelter organized in the sports arena in Krakow, Poland, on March 15, 2022.
Over a million refugees from Ukraine headed to Poland after the Russian invasion.
In Moldova
Nina, 26, holds a cat carrier after fleeing the war from neighboring Ukraine, at the border crossing in Palanca, Moldova, on March 11, 2022.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has set off the largest mass migration in Europe in decades.
Three friends
Two Ukrainian women with a dog spend a tough International Women’s Day far from their homes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 6, 2022.
Many Ukrainians did not leave their pets behind despite facing difficult journeys.
To the train
A woman walks with her dog toward the evacuation train in Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, on February 28, 2022.
More than 3 million people in Ukraine fled heir homes after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion.
A girl and her bird
Dogs and cats were not the only animals on the move.
A girl looks at her pet bird in a cage after fleeing from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, at the border crossing in Siret, Romania, March 10, 2022.
Waiting at the station
Refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine with their pets and belongings wait at the Przemysl train station, southeastern Poland, on March 12, 2022.
Russian troops pressed their offensive in Ukraine, pounding populated areas with artillery and airstrikes.
Cat out of the bag?
A cat looks out of a bag as a woman with her luggage waits on the platform before the departure of the Odesa-Lviv-Rakhiv evacuation train at the railway station in Odesa, on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast.
The date: March 4, 2022.
Taking a rest
People fleeing from Ukraine with a dog rest at the train station in Krakow, Poland, on March 14, 2022.
Over a million refugees from Ukraine came to Poland in the first few weeks the Russian invasion.
Between suitcases
A dog stands between suitcases while traveling with his owners travel to safety.
They have arrived with a bus at the village of Moszczany, near the border checkpoint at Korczowa, Poland, on March 1, 2022.
Safe in Poland
A girl holds her pet after crossing the Ukrainian border into Medyka, Poland, on March 9, 2022.
On that day, the U.N. said 143,000 had fled Ukraine in the past 24 hours.
Holding the cat tightly
A refugee fleeing the conflict in Ukraine holds his pet cat at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania.
The date: March 5, 2022.
Tea time
A refugee holding a small dog gives a sip of tea to a toddler after fleeing the conflict from neighboring Ukraine.
They sit in a bus at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, on March 4, 2022.
Peeking out
A cat peeks from a pet carrier backpack in the Polish border town of Przemysl.
More than half of the refugees from Ukraine have fled to neighboring Poland, according to the figures from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Armful of dogs
A man is seen with his dogs during their evacuation from Irpin, Ukraine.
Thousands of residents of Irpin had to abandon their homes and evacuate as Russian troops bombed the city.
Fleeing the front line
A woman carries her pet cat as she evacuates from the hard-hit city of Irpin, Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military conducted an evacuation mission to help residents escape the fighting.
Ready to run
A woman is seen with her dog at the railway station in Kyiv as she waits for the evacuation train.
The European Union has put in place a temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee due to the Russian invasion. The refugees are allowed to legally live and work in EU countries for up to three years.
Big kiss
A dog licks the face of a woman during the evacuation of Ukrainian refugees through the Uzhgorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint, on March 9, 2022.
The area is located on the Ukrainian-Slovak border of western Ukraine.
Some still remain
A visitor holds a dog in a coffee shop that recently opened in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
The date: March 15, 2022.
Through the window
A woman is seen with her cat through the carriage window of the evacuation train at the railway station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, March 11, 2022.
Neighboring countries are embracing the Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion, but analysts warn it will be challenging to integrate them all.
Crossing a bridge
A woman carries her pet cat as evacuees cross a destroyed bridge in the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 7, 2022.
Around that time, Ukraine dismissed Moscow’s offer of humanitarian corridors from several bombarded cities after learning that some routes would lead refugees into Russia or Belarus.
Keeping warm
A displaced Ukrainian warms her pet cat after crossing the border in Siret, Romania, March 2, 2022.
Off the bus
A woman with a dog gets off the evacuation bus from Enerhodar upon arrival to Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine.
The date: March 9, 2022.
Back in India
Several Indian students arrive in New Delhi, India, from Ukraine with their pet dogs and cats, via an Indian Air Force aircraft bringing 200 stranded citizens, on March 3, 2022.
The event was part of India’s Operation Ganga, a rescue operation to evacuate Indian nationals, mostly students, from war-torn Ukraine.
Welcome home
Here’s another evacuee and pet arriving on that same flight.
The photo was taken at Hindan Air Force Station, on March 7, 2022 in Ghaziabad, India.
In Greece
A Ukrainian refugee holds her pet cat as she, and others, arrive by bus at the Greece-Bulgarian border.
This photo was taken in northern Greece on March 7, 2022.
In Moldova
A woman carries her pet after crossing a Moldova-Ukraine border checkpoint.
The photo was taken near the Moldovan town of Palanca, on March 14, 2022.
Staying put
People pet a dog on the street in downtown Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
The date: March 15, 2022.
Joining a myriad
People fleeing from Ukraine are seen inside a train at the train station in Krakow, Poland on March 14, 2022.
Over a million refugees from Ukraine came to Poland after the Russian invasion.
Side by side
A woman leads her pet after crossing a Moldova-Ukraine border checkpoint near the Moldovan town of Palanca, on March 14, 2022.
Here to help
Volunteers distribute pet supplies to displaced Ukrainians waiting for trains at the railway station in Krakow, Poland.
The date: Sunday, March 13, 2022.
All aboard
A woman holds a cat while waiting for an evacuation train to Przemysl, Poland, at the main railway station in Lviv, western Ukraine.
The date: March 11, 2022.
Loaded up
A girl pulls a suitcase while carrying a dog wrapped in a blanket while waiting for an evacuation train to Przemysl, Poland, at the main railway station in Lviv, western Ukraine.
Traveling cat
A refugee fleeing from Ukraine stands with his cat at Nyugati station in Budapest, Hungary, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The date: February 28, 2022.
Sudu comes home
Sudu, the pet dog of an Indian student, Tanuja Patel, arrives safely in New Delhi, India.
They were evacuated from Ukraine as part of India’s Operation Ganga.
Operation Ganga
A stranded Indian student is seen carrying a pet cat upon arrival at Hindon Air Base after being evacuated from war-torn Ukraine.
The date and placed: March 10, 2022, Ghaziabad, India.
Cuddling a cat
Two children play with their cat at a Warsaw, Poland rail station after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Most of the 3 million Ukrainians fleeing the war are women and children.
Garfield and Yoda
Julia Gereasumenko and her pets, Garfield the cat and Yoda the dog, take shelter underground in a subway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, on the seventh day of the Russian invasion, March 2, 2022.
