Ukraine Animal Rescue: How the War Has Affected Pets and Strays — and How You Can Help

When people flee a war zone, they do not always have the choice to take their animals with them. A family evacuating under artillery fire cannot always carry a dog. A family whose home has been destroyed cannot always afford to feed a cat. And when an entire neighbourhood is shelled, the animals that survive are left to fend for themselves on streets that are no longer safe for anyone.

This is the reality for millions of animals in Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the crisis for pets and strays has been immense — and largely invisible in mainstream coverage. Animal shelters across the country have seen their workloads increase by 60% or more. Stray populations have surged. And the volunteers who care for these animals are doing so under constant threat, in shelters that are damaged, underfunded, and overwhelmed.

For anyone who has ever loved an animal, this is a cause worth understanding — and worth supporting.

What Has Happened to Animals in Ukraine

The scale of the animal welfare crisis in Ukraine mirrors, in many ways, the human one. It is vast, ongoing, and often overlooked.

When millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes in the early weeks of the invasion, many had to leave pets behind. Some animals were locked inside apartments. Others were released onto the streets when owners could not take them across borders. Many simply became strays when the people who fed them disappeared.

At the same time, the conflict has directly harmed animals. Shelling destroys not just homes but stables, shelters, and sanctuaries. Animals in frontline regions have been injured by blasts, abandoned in evacuation zones, or left without food and water when caregivers fled. Wildlife has been displaced from natural habitats. Zoo animals have required emergency evacuation. Even working animals — horses, livestock, farm dogs — have been caught in the crossfire.

Shelters that were already stretched before the war have been pushed to breaking point. In 2025 alone, rescue organisations distributed over 55 tonnes of pet food to roughly 9,000 animals across Ukraine, sterilised and vaccinated more than 3,000 dogs and cats, and conducted emergency rescue missions in frontline areas — often at serious personal risk to volunteers. The international animal welfare organisation IFAW has helped close to 192,000 animals in Ukraine since the start of the conflict.

The need has not diminished. As the war continues into its fifth year, shelters remain stretched, frontline communities remain dangerous, and thousands of animals still lack the basic care they need.

The Specific Challenges Facing Animal Rescue in Ukraine

Animal rescue in a war zone is not simply a matter of collecting stray animals and finding them homes. It involves a set of challenges that most people in the UK will never encounter.

Power Cuts and Heating

Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure mean that animal shelters regularly lose power and heating. In winter temperatures that can drop well below freezing, this is life-threatening for animals. Shelters scramble for generators, thermal blankets, and battery-powered heating equipment — all of which cost money that most operate without.

Frontline Access

Rescue teams working in frontline regions such as Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson are operating in active conflict zones. Some volunteers have had their vehicles armoured to protect against shrapnel. Others have been trained in basic military protocols to navigate dangerous areas. The courage of these individuals is extraordinary — and their work is only possible because of external funding.

Overwhelmed Capacity

Urban shelters in cities like Kyiv and Odesa have taken in far more animals than they were designed to house. Overcrowding increases disease risk, puts pressure on food supplies, and makes it harder to provide individual care. Funding for shelter repairs, expansions, and veterinary supplies is in constant demand.

Reunification

One of the lesser-known aspects of the animal rescue effort is reunification — connecting animals with owners who were separated during evacuation. Organisations working in this space maintain databases of missing animals and coordinate across borders to return pets to their families. It is painstaking, emotional work, and it matters enormously to the people involved.

How Freedom For All Supports Animals in Ukraine

Freedom For All includes animal rescue as one of its four core programmes, because we believe that caring for animals is inseparable from caring for people. The bond between a Ukrainian family and their pet is not a luxury — it is a source of comfort, continuity, and hope in an otherwise devastating situation.

We fund the rescue, veterinary treatment, and rehoming of pets and stray animals affected by the conflict. We support shelters that are struggling with overcrowding and underfunding. And we help ensure that animals displaced by the war have a path to safety — whether that means reunification with their owners or a new home.

Every donation to Freedom For All contributes directly to this work.

Support our animal rescue programme →

How to Help Ukraine's Animals from the UK

If you want to support animal rescue efforts in Ukraine, there are several ways to make a meaningful contribution.

Donate to a charity with active operations in Ukraine. Look for organisations that can demonstrate on-the-ground work — not just fundraising — in Ukraine. Freedom For All, Wildlife & Welfare, ROLDA, and IFAW are among the organisations actively funding animal rescue and shelter support inside the country.

Give regularly rather than once. Monthly donations allow rescue organisations to plan, maintain staffing, and respond to emerging needs without the uncertainty of one-off fundraising cycles. Even a small monthly contribution adds up significantly over time.

Spread the word. The animal welfare dimension of the Ukraine crisis receives far less attention than other aspects of the humanitarian response. Sharing information about this cause with people in your network — friends, family, colleagues, social media followers — can directly result in more support reaching animals in need.

Support reunification efforts. If you are in the UK and aware of Ukrainian refugees who have been separated from their pets, organisations such as IFAW maintain reunification resources and may be able to help.

Why Animal Welfare Is Part of Humanitarian Relief

Some people question whether it makes sense to donate to animal rescue when so many humans are also in need. It is a fair question — and the answer is that the two are not in competition.

Animal welfare and human welfare are deeply connected, particularly in a conflict setting. Pets provide psychological comfort to displaced people under enormous stress. Stray animals in overcrowded urban environments create public health risks if left untreated. Livestock are a source of livelihood for farming families trying to survive the economic devastation of war. And for many Ukrainians, the question of what happened to their dog or cat is not a trivial one — it is bound up with everything they have lost.

Organisations like Freedom For All treat the full picture of what Ukrainians are living through. Medical aid, support for people, animal rescue, and humanitarian technology are not separate causes — they are different dimensions of the same crisis.

Every Animal Deserves a Chance

The war in Ukraine has been catastrophic for millions of people. It has also been catastrophic for millions of animals — animals who had no part in the conflict and no ability to escape it.

The volunteers and rescue workers caring for these animals are doing something quietly remarkable, often in dangerous and exhausting conditions, because they believe that every life — human or animal — has value.

Your donation helps make their work possible.

Donate to Freedom For All today →

Freedom For All is a non-profit organisation registered in England and Wales (No. 16641858), sponsored by Renewable Wealth Ltd. We fund medical aid, support for displaced people, animal rescue, and humanitarian drone technology in Ukraine.