Thread by @NewStatesman

In the face of Russia’s indiscriminate attack, Ukrainians’ care for their animals is an act of defiance. newstatesman.com/world/europe/u…

Over the past few weeks, many fleeing refugees are using an extra suitcase in order to carry their cat or dog to safety.

Photos of countless refugee cats and dogs being clung to by the newly displaced are now in circulation. In one particularly striking instance, a family took turns to carry their large, elderly German Shepherd the last 17km to the Polish border.

Awaiting at the border crossings (and beyond inside neighbouring nations’ cities) are teams of volunteer vets and charity staff.

Some Ukrainians, however, are refusing to leave the country without their animals; others hand them over to shelters at the border, for fear of not being able to find refuge together outside of Ukraine.

The UK government announced on Sunday 13 March that it would “cover the costs” of quarantining refugee’s pets, following calls by animal charities and the campaigner Dominic Dyer for proper assistance to be offered to those fleeing with animals.

Inside besieged Ukraine, meanwhile, some remaining animals are being driven to safety by outside teams – a collaboration between Peta, Viva! Poland, and White Paw rescued more than 420 dogs and cats last week.

Nor are pets the only animals receiving emergency care inside war torn Ukraine. In Kyiv Zoo, as nearby bombs sent tremors through the ground, the name “Bayraktar” was also given to a tiny, newborn lemur.

Helping Ukranians to keep their pets with them will likely reap benefits in unmeasurable ways going forward. Not least in protecting their sense of humanity, and our own with it. newstatesman.com/world/europe/u…