Thanks to an amazing sponsor, 800kg of life-saving food made it safely to Dobropillya’s strays before the city became cut-off.

Dobropillya, once a thriving mining city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, now feels like a ghost town.

For generations, its coal mines were the heartbeat of the community – providing jobs, stability, and purpose. Yet for the past 18 months, as the frontline has crept closer, the city has become increasingly dangerous. Daily drone strikes and relentless shelling have left it scarred and silent. Windows are boarded up. Shops stand shuttered. Streets lie empty except for the stray dogs and cats wandering through the ruins, waiting for someone who will never return.

As the frontline now sits just 10 kilometres away, the last of the mines have closed. Jobs are gone, and families continue to flee – leaving behind not only their homes, yet also the animals they love. Just a handful of residents with animals remain, refusing to evacuate and abandon them.

Regular supply trucks no longer reach the city. The roads have become deadly, with van drivers killed trying to deliver to the stores. For those who remain, survival itself is a daily battle – both they, and the abandoned animals they care for, are running out of time.

But just when it seemed impossible to get help through, one of our amazing sponsors stepped up that allowed us to send a van loaded with 800kg of life-saving animal food, alongside other humanitarian aid kindly donated by the kind people of Odesa region.

It was a race against time before the roads became impassable.

Our volunteer Lena described what the team found when they reached the outskirts of the city:

“These shots tear the heart apart. So many animals… a huge number of abandoned dogs tied up in yards, being fed by the few people still here. Words are hard to find – the photos and videos tell the story themselves.”

🎥 Watch the video highlights of the teams heroic journey under fire to this conflict zone of Ukraine 👇

In a place where hope is fading fast, this act of kindness brought not only nourishment, yet also a reminder that the world hasn’t forgotten them.

Each bag of food, each meal served, is more than survival – it’s a symbol of compassion reaching across borders and battle lines.

💙💛 Thank you to all who helps us reach the forgotten animals of Ukraine.

👉 Donate here to help us deliver the next van load of food to the frontline cities: