Thread by @natemook

Met so many furballs in Izium today! They were under occupation for 7 months, barely surviving. Electricity is coming back now, but many pets have no home left. The two black cats are being taken care of by a Ukraine army battalion whose commander loves cats! We left them food.👇

A contingent of cats live by the main pedestrian bridge in Izium. This little guy walked across with me to get food, jumping on the benches and meowing at me along the way. We gave cat & dog food to the soldiers guarding the bridge so they can keep feeding. #CatsOfUkraine 🇺🇦 👇

Of course, there’s also a lot of great cat art in Izium! #SlavaUkraini 👇

But the amount of destruction caused the Russian occupation of Izium is really hard to fathom. Nearly every single building has some damage, many completely destroyed. Life is slowly returning and residents are cleaning up—many people were out in the central square receiving aid.

This is Victor, who was eager to show me how they survived occupation (with the cats!). They cooked outside, a smaller grill was dedicated to coffee. They stored vegetables from the garden in the cellar, next to where they slept. It was horrific, but he’s happy they’re now free.