The mass exodus from Ukraine has created a crisis with the pets residents had to leave behind, but in the middle of Putin’s .ʙʀᴜᴛᴀʟ .ᴡ.ᴀʀ, some Ukrainians have stepped up to save the animals.
Nastya Tikhaya, who helps run an animal shelter her parents own in the town of Irpin, near Kyiv, is being hailed a hero for helping abandoned and .ᴅɪsᴀʙʟᴇᴅ animals escape the ..ʙʀᴜᴛᴀʟ .ᴡ.ᴀʀ area.
Nastya Tikhaya is on the ground in Ukraine, leading the efforts to track down dogs in destroyed cities and transport them to safety in Poland and Romania … and she joined us on “TMZ Live” Tuesday to tell us about her mission.
Along with her husband, Arthur Lee, she is helping animals left behind by their owners as well as homeless animals cross the border into Poland.
A photo of her leading several dogs, including some in wheelchairs, out of .ᴅᴇs.ᴛʀᴏʏᴇᴅ Irpin went viral and is the definition of unconditional love.
Katya tells us there are hundreds of dogs being evacuated … and her group, Transform a Street Dog, still needs help transporting dogs and cats and finding them new homes. It’s pretty scary …. Katya tells us she saw a Russian missile .ᴅᴇs.ᴛʀᴏʏᴇᴅ an entire block, but she couldn’t let it derail her mission, because the blast left more pets in need of her help.
The bridge over the Irpin river was .ᴅᴇs.ᴛʀᴏʏᴇᴅ by Russian troops but thankfully Ukrainian territorial defense people were there to help the dogs cross the river.
Most of the dogs were either .ᴅɪs.ᴀʙʟᴇᴅ or seniors and exhausted by the journey. They needed to be carried across the river after walking several miles. Some of the senior pets were abandoned by their families as they fled, but Nastya and her husband refused to leave them behind.
When Nastya was asked why she decided to save the “sick” dogs she told Newsflare, “These are my bunnies [lovelies]. Well, shall I leave them? What is the difference – sick or healthy? Their lives are no less valuable. They are all very good. By the way, these invalids have suffered very much at the hands of man.”
We’ve seen upwards of 1 1/2 million people flee .ᴡ.ᴀʀ -torn Ukraine, including the elderly, and it’s sad to think about the pets … but there are some good folks out there looking out for the animals. Luckily, numerous dogs and cats are safe in Poland thanks to the brave couple and countless volunteers. They were taken in by shelters and some of the dogs have even been reunited with their owners.