Matt, 24, watched as his wife ignored the Russian bombs falling around them to save Niobe, a tiny terrified cat.
They were both soldiers in Kupiansk, only 25 miles from the border, when the Kremlin launched yet another attack on Ukraine in its wrenching war.
To Matt, this moment was yet another reminder that his wife, Ruta, was and always will be, his first ‘big love’.
‘That day, Ruta’s bravery shone through the chaos,’ Matt, whose full name cannot be revealed for security reasons, tells , ‘and her love for all animals – even during a war – was remarkable.’
The pair had been together since they were teenagers, later serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine after Russian president Vladimir Putin invaded Crimea.
‘But when the full-scale invasion erupted in February 2022, everything changed. The intensity and the devastation shattered any sense of normalcy,’ Matt says.
‘Now, nothing will ever be the same.’
In late April, Russian missiles battered Donbas, the main stage of the war today, killing Ruta. ‘She died in my arms.’
‘She never stopped caring. She rescued cats and other animals even from the frontlines,’ Matt, now living in the northeast city of Kharkiv, adds.
About 30,500 Ukrainian civilians have been killed by Russia since February 24, 2022, with more than 6.1 million fleeing from their homes. The Ukrainian government estimates that 180,000 Russians have been killed.
Humans aren’t the only creatures impacted by war. Ukraine was once home to about 750,000 dogs, including around 200,000 or so strays, and 5,500,000 cats in 2014, according to one estimate.
Heavy metals like lead from bullets and bombs can seep into the soil and harm species for decades, while habitats become pitched battlefields.
Farmland has been cratered by Russian aggression, zoo animals have died of hunger and cold and animal shelters bombed, killing volunteers and the furry friends they cared for.
Ruta could never save every animal shaken by the war but Matt is doing what he can to save them and, in doing so, keep his wife’s memory alive.
‘Ruta and I loved helping animals together, and in the aftermath of her tragic death, my determination to fulfil her mission is even stronger,’ he says.
‘Her goal was to help take care of those who never start wars but end up some of the worst affected – the cats, dogs, and other animals.’
Ukrainian law allows several members who lose family members in the war to be discharged indefinitely.
Matt phoned Animal Rescue Kharkiv (ARK), a local animal rescue group, and asked to join after he was discharged. ‘I arrived the next day and never looked back,’ he says.
‘My work with ARK is a testament to her courage and love,’ Matt says of Ruta. ‘My heart will forever carry her memory.’
Now Matt, one of 85 members of ARK, is working with PETA Germany to build Ukraine’s first animal sanctuary some 30km from the frontline. The two animal rights groups, backed by the Ukrainian military, have seen volunteers trek through towns gutted by the war to rescue animals.
Animal neglect has long been an issue in Ukraine, a crime rarely, if at all, prosecuted. While the law states that pets cannot be left unattended or tied up in public, Igor Sobko, a frontline animal rescuer for ARK, says he has seen too many emaciated and sick dogs to count chained to buildings and kennels.
‘Every day is different. But the longer the war lasts, the more similar the situations become. It’s often dogs and cats who retreat – terrified – into the shattered houses because they remain where they’ve spent their lives,’ explains Sobko.
‘The worst part of rescue work is seeing the desperation in the animals’ eyes. When dogs are chained up for days and their owners have fled, they’re left scared and sick – without food or water,’ Sobko recalls. ‘It’s hard to put into words, but it’s a look which shows they have already given up, unable to understand that help is still coming.’
‘So many people have fled. So many animals have been left behind,’ he adds.
Sobko has seen it all some two years into the conflict. ‘We were at the front with our horse transporter, ready to bring out horses and cows. But then, Russian drones attacked the vehicle,’ he recalls.
‘It all happened so quickly: within a few seconds, the trailer was completely burnt out. Luckily, no humans or other animals were in the vehicle, but it easily could have been a very different story.’
Teams have encountered sheep who fled into the flattened stairwell of a building and had to be carried out one by one as volunteers feared being gunned down. Or a village whose residents were wiped out by Russian forces.
‘The team had to climb over corpses to rescue the animals who remained – alone and without a chance,’ Sobko says. ‘How are people supposed to cope with something like that? But somehow, they manage it together as a team and carry on!’
ARK workers care for around 1,300 animals – saving up to 80 animals each day and have placed 17,000 in loving homes. Building a sanctuary for them all simply makes sense, says Sobko.
‘This is a pioneering project – in fact, it is unheard of in Ukraine to give animals lots of space and ensure all their needs are prioritised. This place has already become a small oasis of peace in the midst of this unrelenting storm,’ he says.
‘It will include large, fenced-in outdoor areas and stables for sheep, goats, horses, ducks, donkeys, and many other animals who were rescued near the frontlines. In addition, large runs for around 450 dogs are being built and fenced in.’
Sylvie Bunz, manager of PETA Germany’s special projects and senior project manager of PETA Helps Ukraine, says that some 1,700 tonnes of vegan food for rescued dogs and cats is delivered to teams like ARK every month.
‘We’ve also set up a veterinary clinic, another sterilisation project, and a large fleet of vehicles. The logistics are complex and vital to helping as many animals as possible,’ she says, with the animal sanctuary being funded with the support of PETA’s Global Compassion Fund.
‘Rescuers are constantly confronted with destruction and death. Their lives, everything they have built up, is being reduced to rubble, yet they stay there and carry on helping animals.’
Matt feels the same. It’s far from clear when the Russia-Ukraine war will end, and taking each day as it comes often feels like the only option when death has become a daily reality for Ukrainians.
‘When you lose someone so important to you, it can be hard to keep going – but working to save animals from the frontline is my purpose now,’ Matt says.
‘Every day, I risk my own life, and I know Ruta would be proud of me.’
.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.