Some Ukrainians Fleeing War Are Making Sure Their Pets Can Come With Them, Too

Poland train station Przemysl was filled with refugees on Sunday as people continued to flee from the conflict in Ukraine. 

“We took the cats, we took their food, and some of our clothes and that’s all. We lost everything in our house,” said Ksenia, a 28-year old chemistry teacher from Odesa. 

When she and her mother realized the severity of the crisis in Ukraine, they fled with their three cats in tow. 

“I have a lot of students and people who are studying (with me remotely) and they are from Kyiv, from Kharkiv. We lost some friends three days ago actually. That’s why we just took our family and went from our home (to) here to save our lives,” Ksenia said. 

As of Sunday, more than 1.5 million refugees have rushed from Ukraine to nearby countries since the Russian invasion began, according to officials. 

“As we can, we help all of them. We coordinate them to some trains, to get them a train, to get them a bus or something. If they want a sleep we give them a place to sleep. Of course we have food for dogs and cats, we have medical (supplies), we have all of it,” said Aliaksei Samovich, a 19-year-old Polish-Belarussian volunteer from Warsaw. 

Volunteers like Samovich are helping however they can to make sure they can provide a bit of comfort for folks whose lives have been impacted by the war, right along with their furry loved ones.

“Of course we have food for dogs and cats, we have medical [supplies], we have all of it,” she said.