Losing cat in Mariupol, only to later recognize it in photo: how public organization "Vyvezemo" evacuates animals from occupied territories
Left but not abandoned
On September 20, it was four months since the fighting for Mariupol between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the russian federation ended. The hostilities left hundreds of thousands of residents homeless, forcing them to temporarily or permanently leave their native places. Now, according to the statements of Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko, about 100-150 thousand people remain in the occupied city. Almost everyone's houses and apartments were destroyed. The forces of Ukrainian volunteers and foreign organizations continue to help all those in need. But not only the people of the occupied regions and cities found themselves in a difficult situation on the verge of survival due to full-scale russia's military aggression. Where people suffer, animals also suffer.
What is the problem?
Before the full-scale invasion, thousands of animals were found in city kennels; some were found a home, and others were sterilized and released back into the streets. The constant work of nurseries, communal enterprises, and volunteers was interrupted by hostilities at the end of February and the beginning of March. Not all animals, domestic and stray, were able to survive this period.
During the March military operations, many Mariupol residents and residents of nearby towns and cities left and evacuated from the war zone without their pets. There are many reasons for this — the impossibility of returning to the apartment for a cat or dog, the destruction of a residential building, or the death or severe injuries of the owner. As a result, after the end of active fighting and the full occupation of the city, thousands of stray animals remained on the streets of Mariupol – both stray and once domestic.
After leaving the territory controlled by Ukraine, evacuated residents of Mariupol began to think about how to find their lost pets and take them home. At that time, the evacuation of residents from the occupied territories continued. Everyone who went through it knew that the road and crossing the "border" at Vasylivka was a long and dangerous procedure. There was practically no hope of getting the cat or dog out.
"After the airstrikes on our neighborhood on March 12, when my family and I were in the basement and almost suffocated from the dust, there was no cat in our apartment on the first floor," says Andrii from Mariupol. "Everything was covered with mud, destroyed furniture, walls. We waited for him for about a week, but the shelling was so heavy that we decided to leave the city without him, without waiting. We almost came to terms with his loss and death, although they did not stop looking for him through photos from volunteer groups and communities on social networks. Luck smiled at us — we found him in one of the photos near our house! The cat survived, and now the question arose about how to take it out."
What is the solution?
Evacuation of cats in order of priority
Oleksandr Sosnovsky and the evacuated cats. Photo from Oleksandr's Facebook page
As it turned out, some public organizations and volunteers helped Mariupol residents to take their pets home to the controlled territory. One of them is the public organization "Vyvezemo." Its head is former Mariupol TV presenter and public figure Denys Minin. This March, when the fighting for Mariupol was still ongoing, he organized a group of volunteers and drivers who could go to the "gray zone" and take people out of there. At the same time, he met Oleksandr Sosnovsky, also a public figure from Mariupol, who was able to leave the already-surrounded city with his family at the beginning of March.
At the end of March, Oleksandr returned to Zaporizhzhia and arrived at the site of the "Epicentr" shopping complex. At its base, at that time, was a volunteer headquarters for meeting and helping people from the occupied territories, including from the areas of active hostilities. At first, Oleksandr decided to help in everything he could — unloading humanitarian aid, meeting people, and helping volunteers. Oleksandr Sosnovsky's main goal was to take out his mother, who still remained in Mariupol and who, at that time, had six cats – four of them belonged to Oleksandr himself, and two were his mother's.
A meeting with Denys Minin, who was already involved in the evacuation of people at that time, allowed Oleksandr to continue helping the needy and to take his mother and cats away in early May.
"We saw that the war continues, and it is urgent to evacuate people, and we continued it. This is how the public organization "Vyvezemo" was born, which works in three main directions — the evacuation of people, the evacuation of animals, both at the request of their owners and just street animals, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to those areas where it is needed," says Oleksandr.
How does it work?
Not only people are subject to evacuation, but also animals. Oleksandr Sosnovsky's photo from his Facebook page
The process of active evacuation of animals continued in June. At first, it was possible to take out one pet for its owner, then five, then more and more. A Google form was created, according to which all those willing could leave a request with all the necessary information to take their pet out of the occupied territory or gray zone. Now, as the volunteer says, you don't even have to send out this form yourself – friends recommend it to their friends, they recommend it to their friends, and so on. As of the end of September, about 40 applications remain active, the authors of which are waiting and hoping for help for their pets. As of today, the team organizes raids only on the territory of the occupied Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
Transportation of pets is a complex and unpredictable process. To travel from Zaporizhzhia to the temporarily occupied territory, you need a pass to enter Mariupol and another one to leave it. All this takes time and resources. Difficulties arise with the closing of checkpoints and the crossing line in Vasylivka (the final exit point from the occupied Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions to the controlled territory of Ukraine), where you can stand in line from one day to a whole week. At this time, pets must be cared for and monitored.
Rescued cats from the occupied territories. Oleksandr Sosnovsky's photo from his Facebook page
During the first cat transportation raid, as Oleksandr says, two of them escaped during the journey, and one, unfortunately, died. Now the organization already has its own carriers, thanks to which the transportation of animals is more organized and easier. Carriers for animals, as well as other useful things, were purchased thanks to donations from Ukrainians. Oleksandr says he does not go on trips to collect animals himself but organizes logistics and communication with the driver and animal owners.
The problem now remains the impossibility of transporting dogs of both small and large breeds. According to the volunteer, soon it will be possible to evacuate at least small dogs that can be placed in carriers for a while. Transporting dogs of large breeds over a long distance with an unpredictable waiting time at the border in Vasylivka is not yet possible.
In addition to taking out animals that have owners, Oleksandr is involved in evacuating shelters and just stray cats. During the work, it was possible to take 16 cats out of the shelter from Berdyansk. Recently, thanks to the successful organization, it was possible to take out 22 street cats from Mariupol. Some of them have already met their new families; others are still waiting for kind and loving owners.
"Previously, we managed to deliver food and medicine, which we bought for donations or received from other organizations, to villages and small towns of the gray zone near Zaporizhzhia. But now it has become impossible because, at russian checkpoints, such goods were considered "commercial" and were simply not allowed through," explained Oleksandr Sosnovsky.
Does it really work?
A man and a woman drove an old car from the Lviv region to Zaporizhzhia to pick up their evacuated cats. To safely transport the animals to the west of Ukraine, we bought an ordinary farm net
More than 240 animals from the occupied territories returned to their owners or found a new home.
Over the entire period of operation of the "Vyvezemo" NGO, thanks to volunteers, drivers, and shelters in Berdyansk (which provided temporary homes for animals during their transportation), more than 240 animals managed to be transported to the territory controlled by Ukraine. They have been reunited with their owners, are now warm and cozy, and receive medical assistance or necessary treatment. Thanks to the public organization, more than 4.5 thousand Ukrainians who could not leave the destroyed cities and villages on their own were evacuated from the territories occupied by the russian federation. Almost 30 thousand kilograms of humanitarian aid was delivered to those who needed it. The evacuation of people, as well as animals, is completely free.
"We didn't believe that we would be able to take our cat out," admits Andriy from Mariupol, "it was difficult for us to leave the occupied territories because of my body tattoos. It was not possible to go there again. But then we submitted an application to Oleksandr, we waited almost a month and a half, but they called us and said they were ready to take the cat out of town! After a couple of days, we came to Zaporizhzhia to pick him up!".
Feedback and thanks to Oleksandr (and his team) on Facebook
Currently, the public organization "Vyvezemo" continues its activities, despite the constant difficulties, problems, and lack of materials to help people and animals in the occupied territories. The only source for purchasing materials and organizing trips is donations from Ukrainians and citizens of other countries.
"We will continue our activities as long as we can. So far, there are enough resources, while there are forces," says Oleksandr Sosnovsky.
How to help?
If you have the opportunity to help with the evacuation of animals from the occupied territories, you can use the following bank details:
PrivatBank
Recipient: Мінін Денис Сергійович
5168745109975778
Monobank jar link – https://send.monobank.ua/jar/7sJQVQceZU
Bitcoin (BTC):
bc1qp568vsp8u6rk97xekt53a77xhrenpnmztxacet
Tether (TRC20):
TJcQqZf4ybLF94yLf4hf7bdhswC2dnY1Lx
Ethereum (ETH):
0x823d327219CCc888503c3C0c1145D1227A060C18
Solana (SOL):
HyEP7Vv1ge6m3DPCqAvQXawdbqKpFNDboXV3PmVp4ADQ
Binance coin (BEP20):
bnb1lydduawe697xwut2gnup5xp68wv49968yesyql
Litecoin (LTC):
ltc1q5q8m3p8ym627x8p5hqw6qp8042lqn5t3ux5he3
SWIFT in dollars (USD)
Company name ВИВЕЗЕМО! ГО
IBANUA353133990000026005020205708
Bank name JSC CB "PRIVATBANK", 1D HRUSHEVSKOHO STR., KYIV, 01001, UKRAINE
SWIFT code PBANUA2X
Company address UA 69057 Zaporizhzhia region, Zaporizhzhia, 90a Nezalezhnoyi Ukraine Str., Apt. 17
Corresponding banks
Bank account 001-1-000080
SWIFT Code CHASUS33
JP Morgan Chase Bank, New York ,USA
SWIFT in Euro (EUR)
Company name ВИВЕЗЕМО! ГО
IBANUA833133990000026008030204569
Bank name JSC CB "PRIVATBANK", 1D HRUSHEVSKOHO STR., KYIV, 01001, UKRAINE
SWIFT code PBANUA2X
Company address UA 69057 Zaporizhzhia region, Zaporizhzhia, 90a Nezalezhnoyi Ukraine Str., Apt. 17
Corresponding banks
Bank account 400886700401
SWIFT Code COBADEFF
Commerzbank AG, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
SWIFT in hryvnias (UAH)
Company name ВИВЕЗЕМО! ГО
UA093133990000026006040208900
Paypal
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