Hᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ Photos Show Ukrainians Clinging to Their Pets as They Flee

As the Hᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴᴠᴀsɪᴏɴ of Ukraine continues, people are attempting to move to safety en masse. For many, this means making an arduous journey to the border, while for others finding a safe haven within the country is the best option. Families are traveling together and not just human members of families. As any animal lover knows, pets are just as valuable and so it should come as no surprise that many images show people ꜰʟᴇᴇɪɴɢ with their cats and dogs in tow.

When Russia’s Vladimir Putin ordered the ɪɴᴠᴀsɪᴏɴ on February 24, ordinary life in Ukraine changed in an instant. People took shelter in subway stations, partook in ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs journeys to the border, and many have even taken up arms to defend their country. Many Ukrainian citizens have been spotted holding on to their dear pets while ꜰʟᴇᴇɪɴɢ to safety during these very anxious and Hᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ times.

Still, a good deal of locals can’t actually afford to leave the affected towns due to the standard rules involving tons of paperwork and vaccinations that allow people to cross borders with their pets and are choosing to stay to be together with their beloved animals. However, the EU’s veterinarians federation requested that Europe relax the strict entry requirements to help people get to safety without having to leave their pets behind, and some countries like Poland, Romania and Slovakia have, in fact, eased the rules for Ukrainian refugees.

For animals remaining in Ukraine, PETA Germany is delivering nearly 20,000 kilograms of food to companion animals and blankets to shelters. Several non-profits in Ukraine are taking donations for supplies, including Happy Paw, UAnimals, Sirius, Shelter Ugolyok, and the International Animal Protection League. These are all local organizations that either care for stray animals or provide shelter services.

It’s emotionally excruciating knowing that people are forced to suffer purely because folks above us couldn’t come to an agreement and decided to involve everyone in their ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴀʟ and ᴘᴏɪsᴏɴᴏᴜs games. No one knows how to stop the ᴄᴏɴꜰʟɪᴄᴛs from happening, and whether we’ll ever have a say in these types of situations, but what we know is that as long as we’ll stay united, someday the world will be able to find its true path.