Many people abandoned their dogs while fleeing Ukraine, but some heroes stayed behind to aid the animals in need. Asya Serpinska, 77, chose to walk into the Russian conflict rather than away from it. She used to put herself in danger because her animal shelter in Hostomel, a city north of Kyiv, desired her.
When the invasion began, Serpinska had roughly 600 puppies and a hundred cats at the refuge. She also ended up rescuing a number of zoo animals who had been abandoned. As if caring for the animals wasn’t difficult enough, she also had her life endangered several times by Russian troops. But, for the sake of the animals, she typically kept her ground.
It wasn’t long before Russian forces encircled Hostomel on all sides, but Serpinska didn’t allow her nerves get the best of her. Serpinska dashed to the safe haven as soon as she saw the Russians were attempting to conquer the village, opening the cages so the pups and cats wouldn’t be stuck within. During the bombardment, she and a small group of workers contributors stayed at the safe haven.
“The first thought that came to mind was that I needed to go to the shelter,” Serpinska added. “I used to go to war on purpose. My puppies and my humans had both been here.”
Despite the dangers that surrounded the sanctuary, the volunteers kept up with the routines of the animals. They persevered in feeding them on a regular basis in order to free up space. Serpinska’s friends pleaded with her to leave Ukraine, but she refused to forsake the animals.
Serpinska also observed a nearby private zoo burn up in flames while defending her bunker. The zoo’s owners had abandoned the premises, leaving the animals to their own devices. Serpinska and her team battled the smoke to save as many creatures as they could, including peacocks and turtles. Serpinska’s team was unable to take the lion with them because he was the only survivor.
Serpinska stated, “Only the lion was left behind.” “We would go there for 5 weeks, under shelling and gunshots, to feed the lion because it was kept in a cage and we didn’t have the keys.”
Serpinska had to negotiate with the Russian troopers when they planted a mine near the lion’s cage, preventing them from murdering the harmless creature. The mine was triggered by the troops, but the lion escaped. Until Ukrainian forces recovered the region, the shelter volunteers continued to feed the pussycat.
Although the Ukrainians have retaken Hostomel, the safe haven team of workers faced several dangerous conditions while Russian troops were present. Unfortunately, Serpinska’s dog, Gina, was killed by Russian forces. A soldier became enraged because Gina was barking at him over the fence, so he shot her. Serpinska had been heartbroken, but she didn’t allow her pain stop her from helping the other animals.
After then, Russian troops arrived at the refuge on several occasions, and Serpinska was fortunate to survive each event. The Russians once trapped everyone at the refuge in a room and told them they were planting a land mine on the door. They told them that if they all opened the door, the mine would explode and kill them all.
After they were rescued, they found there had most likely been no mine on the door after all. That was simply stated by the soldier to frighten them. Serpinska was most likely afraid every time she came face to face with Russian forces. She did not, however, flee because of the animals’ desire for her.
The city of Hostomel is peaceful now that Russia is no longer in charge. The majority of the city has been abandoned, and buildings have been burned and destroyed. The safe haven is also in bad shape, with no power, but Serpinska is striving to restore it. Now that the city has more resources than previously, she’s already working hard to collect donations and find homes for the animals.
“It doesn’t care who you’re protecting: children, humans, animals, or the environment. “Responsibility is the most important factor,” Serpinska stated. “Rescue animals in order to remain human.”
Despite everything, the animals in the safe haven appear to be content. Serpinska and her squad have gone above and beyond to ensure that everyone remains safe amid the invasion’s horrors. This world could benefit from more selfless people like them.
