The nomination "Responsible for those ...": Volunteers sterilize and treat animals that were injured during the bombing or were left without owners for free.
Participants of the project of assistance to homeless animals "Puppy Patrol" from Kazan in 2025 have already visited the line of combat contact twice, the newspaper "Republic of Tatarstan" writes. According to Svetlana Kim, the head of the Puppy Patrol project, it all started with a chance acquaintance. At a volunteer convention in Moscow, a pet volunteer from Donetsk approached her and told her how hard it was for animals in a war-affected area.
It is almost impossible to provide assistance to injured and sick cats and dogs: there are not enough veterinarians, medicines, and clinics. A resident of Donetsk asked Kazan residents for help, because the "Puppy Patrol" has its own veterinary clinic where stray animals are treated.
And already in July 2025, Svetlana and her colleagues, veterinarian Alexandra Putilina and surgeon Yulia Olkhovskaya, collected humanitarian aid (feed, drugs) and went to the Donetsk region.
"We drove my car with the girls on our own. Of course, in such difficult conditions, people are helped first of all, but animals also need help," says Svetlana Kim.
Kazan zoo volunteers stayed in Donetsk for two days, of which 16 hours were spent on operations and treatment of wounds in cats and dogs. At the same time, the animals were sterilized, because they do not need to reproduce in such harsh conditions.
"The situation is aggravated by the problem with water in Donetsk. It is given strictly for two to three hours. Locals still find food for animals and feed them, but water is in great short supply. On the way out of Donetsk, we found three puppies under a destroyed dugout, and we took them with us to Kazan, because in the summer heat they would have simply died if they couldn't find water. Now all the puppies have already found owners," the head of the Puppy Shelter is happy.
In addition to three puppies, the volunteers took two kittens with them to Kazan. Two more adult cats were brought in for treatment - the animals were on the verge of death.
"One cat was found by a local resident who helps a local shelter. He was badly injured during the bombing, but they managed to get him out. We took the poor guy to Kazan because he needs further treatment, and this is impossible in Donetsk. The woman asked us to bring the cat back after the treatment, she will take it for herself," Svetlana Kim continues her story.
The second cat was found by volunteers, at first it seemed that the animal had died, the cat was so exhausted and covered with skin. He was also injured during the bombing: the cat was concussed, a fragment hit his paw. But the will to live was stronger. Now, according to the volunteers, the cat has eaten off and laid down. He was placed in the care of the Kazan group of assistance to homeless animals "Nadezhda".
During the first trip, Kazan volunteers operated on a total of 25 animals, and in the fall, they went closer to Lugansk. The dogs had to be operated on right on the street. Sometimes the military helped, provided their own premises, and veterinarians worked in veterinary clinics. And they did it completely for free. They brought medicines and tools with them. During this trip, we managed to provide assistance to more than 70 animals.
Svetlana Kim hopes that with the help of caring people, it will be possible to raise funds to purchase a large shipment of humanitarian aid and help as many animals and people in Donbas as possible on her next trip.
Photos – the shelter "Puppy Patrol" and the newspaper "Republic of Tatarstan".