Muristek
British army vet risks life to extract strays abandoned by owners following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Former British army veteran Tom has rescued some 700 dogs and cats that were abandoned by their owners in Ukraine following the invasion by Russia. — Picture via Facebook
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KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — A British army veteran and an animal rescue group formed by him named Breaking the Chains, have rescued 700 dogs and cats abandoned in Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
The soldier, who asked to be identified by his first name Tom, also delivered over 100 tonnes of food and medical supplies to those in need, Daily Mail reported.
The 34-year-old from Yorkshire, who served in the British army for almost two decades but left the forces two years ago, has been on the frontlines in Ukraine helping to extract animals from bomb-stricken shelters.
“It’s like a military operation, so to speak,” he was quoted as saying.
“This is a war, not a natural disaster like a hurricane or a tornado. There are so many factors you need to be aware of. We need to understand the situation. We need to understand the ground. We are working with maps, satellites.”
In one of his most recent rescue efforts, Tom and his four-man team were able to retrieve 120 animals that were trapped in a bomb-stricken shelter in northeast Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, which has been obliterated by Russian troops.
“It was a shelter that had been blown up twice. No one could go to it, no one could reach it and help the animals, so we went in.
“It was 900 meters from the Russian frontline. There were artillery rounds landing in and around the area while we were extracting the animals.
”The dogs were barking like mad, then they settled down,” he said, adding that one of the dogs tried to bite him as it was scared.”
Tom and his crew use a long wheelbase dog transport van throughout the operation.
“There are 50 different crates already built into it.
“The shelter owner knows their dogs and knows which ones to put together in the same crate, and we can get three or four cats into the same one.
“Soon as that van starts driving, they all just go to sleep.”
Upon reaching the border, the animals would be moved to a transport team and sent to shelters in Romania before being distributed to shelters across Europe to be adopted.