People in Ukraine have been leaving for safer shores ever since Russia started deploying its troops near its eastern border. However, for pet owners, fleeing to safety came with an added difficulty: how to shield their beloved pets from the destruction of the ongoing conflict.
There are many videos and photos of Ukrainians taking their pets with them as they shelter from air attacks in subway stations or make a difficult journey to cross the border. As Indian students in Ukraine were struggling to leave for India, Rishabh Kaushik, a computer engineering student who has been pursuing his course in Ukraine for three years, refused to leave without his rescue dog Malibu. In a Facebook post shared on February 26, 2022, the SJA Alumni Association, Dehradun, shared their alumnus’s situation that explained how despite arranging required documents, Rishabh is not able to leave Ukraine with his dog. Journalist Erin Burnett, who has been covering the conflict from the ground, shared a story of the owners of a cat cafe in Lviv who are staying put in the city as they feel a responsibility towards the 20 cats that they foster. Nolan Peterson, an Ukraine based reporter, shared a photo of him and his cat from inside a bomb shelter. “In the bomb shelter with my cat. She’s been very brave,” he captioned the photo. Animals, an animal rights advocacy group, has also been posting updates and requests for aid as they struggle to protect as many animals as possible. There have been media reports that Poland, Romania and Slovakia are now allowing Ukrainians to bring their pets without essential veterinary paperwork.
EU increases pressure on Putin as Ukraine and Russia agree to hold talks,
European nations and Canada said on Sunday they would close their airspace to Russian aircraft in a move to pressure the Russian president to end his invasion of Ukraine. In an unprecedented move, the European Union also said it plans to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons to Ukraine. Putin has placed Russia's nuclear forces on high alert amid increasing economic sanctions by numerous countries, while Ukrainian and Russian officials are set to meet for talks on the Belarusian border.
A place is made up of so many tiny stories. And each one is big. The cat cafe is open because the owners say - there are 20 cats here to feed. “This is our life”. They will not leave.
Stock markets remain volatile amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict,
The domestic equity indices opened on a weak note on Monday as oil prices jumped 5% following fresh sanctions on Russia’s banking system. According to The Economic Times, Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to put his nuclear forces on a higher alert in reaction to the latest stiff measures also weighed on the market sentiment.
What you need to know
- Fighting and missile attacks continue in multiple cities, with explosions heard in Kyiv on Monday and clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv
- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described their decision to provide arms to Ukraine as “a defining moment in European history.”
- Belarus passed a referendum on Sunday ending its non-nuclear status, Reuters reports
- The Rouble plummets as countries continue to escalate sanctions on Russia’s economy
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