The plight of animals in Ukraine

The situation in Ukraine continues to be critical and it will have a long-term impact on people and their animals. The international humanitarian aid for those who decided to stay and fight or those fleeing the country has been incredible. ROLDA, being an animal charity, will keep providing support to people with animals and homeless or abandoned animals, affected by this conflict. You are their last hope.

Animals are living in horrible conditions. Shelters are in danger of being completely destroyed if a bomb accidentally falls in the wrong place. Many already were destroyed or burned.

Shops are empty, stocks of animal food and emergency supplies are running out and humanitarian aid hardly reaches the south east of Ukraine, especially occupied or war zones.

From the beginning, the ROLDA team located just 8 km from the border with Ukraine and Moldova was busy finding the best way to help people and animals affected by the war which happens very close to us. We want to help the best we can, especially the animals who are left behind on the streets of Ukraine and need to be rescued, or animals from shelters in bombarded cities that lack vital resources and where the animal rescue activity can’t continue as before the war.

ROLDA has connections to channel periodically the food and essential supplies we buy from Romania to countless abandoned animals who face death by bomb blasts, airstrikes and enemy fire. . We also distribute monthly small grants to different recipients all over Ukraine.

Regardless of bullets and bombs, we promise to fight as hard for the animals as the Ukrainians are fighting for their homeland!

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Activity report for 2023

Total number of animals helped:

Month Type of animals Number Download
January dogs, cats, others 800

See full report here

February dogs, cats, farm 1000

See full report here

March dogs, cats 700

See full report here

April dogs, cats 1090

See full report here

Month: January

Type of animals: dogs, cats, others

Number: 800

See full report here

Month: February

Type of animals: dogs, cats, farm

Number: 1000

See full report here

Month: March

Type of animals: dogs, cats

Number: 700

See full report here

Month: April

Type of animals: dogs, cats

Number: 1090

See full report here

Locations: Belaya Tserkov, Dnepr, Genichesk, Irpen, Kakhovka, Kherson, Kharkiv, Korosten, Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Poltava, Rivne village, Vilniansk, Zaporizhia

Donations were divided to:
Housing dogs and prepare Ukrainian dogs to be adopted (RO) (20%)
Donations to Ukrainians: (80%)

Our work in pictures

(latest update: January 2023)

Your donation put at work to save Ukrainian animals

Financial aid sent to Vilniansk, Irpin, Zaporizhezhe, Kherson, Korosten, Poltava, Dnepr,Kiev, Kharkiv,Chernihiv, Borodyanka, Fedorivka, Mariupol, Khmelnytskyi, Kamyanets-Podilsky

ROLDA is distributing every month small grants to animal shelters across Ukraine. In order to be able to send them the 2nd grant, rescuers must acknowledge the donation and send us a short update/report on how the donation is spent. Our supporters often want to read updates about injured animals and deserve transparency. The Ukrainian shelters have full responsibility on how they spend the money received. ROLDA is not affiliated with/doesn’t endorse any shelter from Ukraine.

Evacuate as many dogs as possible from Ukrainian shelters and rescuers

So far, we managed to rescue approx 100 dogs from private shelters in Kyiv, Korosten, Cernauti, Mykolaiv, and Odesa of which over 60% are already safely rehomed.

We aim to reach as many dogs as we can from shelter in danger of closing because of lack of resources, or dogs in danger of becoming captive in occupied territories. We transfer these dogs to safety at ROLDA where they will stay in quarantine and get the papers necessary to be transported to our partners in Europe, US, etc.

Galati is strategically located near Kherson (who sadly presently is on occupied territory) and Odessa.

We are just 8km from the border (Reni checkpoint) and can take animals in immediately. Your support will enable us to pay for the transport for rescue missions as well as veterinary and shelter care provided to dogs saved from Ukraine.

Send supplies (food, medicines for animals and food , hygiene products for people) across war zone in Ukraine

So far, ROLDA managed to send humanitarian supplies to Korosten, Zaporizhezhe, Mykolaiv as well as to Chernihiv (hay for farm animals).

Local rescuers distributing food for animals in Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions

Offer veterinary support and food for refugees’ pets arriving in Romania, Reni-Giurgiulesti and Isaccea

Thanks to our volunteers, we manage to translate leaflets in Ukrainian and distribute them at the border, in Giurgulesti-Reni and Isaccea checkpoints which explain that ROLDA provides hygiene supplies, food for refugees’ pets as well as free medical assistance.

Leaflet distributed by our volunteers in Tulcea

Supplies offered to the Ukrainian refugees in Tulcea

Other ways we helped

The war continues, animals and their humans continue to need us

Helped by international supporters, ROLDA hopes to be able to continue providing financial and logistic support to 30 rescuers who look after approximately 25000 dogs, cats and farm animals. Together, we can reach more.

ROLDA Goals in 2023

Helping people with pets who remained in Ukraine

Together with “Peaceful Heaven of Kharkiv” we aim to help the numerous seniors with pets from Izyum, Kupyansk and Vovchansk. This will be a pilot project which continues the Friends for Life social program recently started to support seniors with pets from Romania. Depending on the feedback received from Kharkiv, we will decide if we will continue this in the next months. Of course, it will also depend on funds available. We aim to send minimum 2000 USD per month to cover the food and medical emergencies for pets owned by seniors from vulnerable communities. Peaceful Heaven of Kharkiv is a charity for people, their main work is “providing people with hot meals in social kitchens, giving food and humanitarian kits, a program is providing social houses for IDPs, and evacuating of people from “hot spots” of Kharkiv oblast” as Oleksii Abrosimov, project manager said.

Reconstruct shelters destroyed by bombs

We also hope to be able to help Yuri to repair the shelter destroyed by bombs in Dnepr. They have 103 dogs and 1 cat, they need to repair some boxes, add new enclosures and a warehouse. The estimated cost to complete this is 11200 USD. Yuri and his partner, Natalia never keep their dogs chained and hope to be able to provide a better life to all the animals they rushed to rescue.

ROLDA is taking steps towards creating a new rescue center at the Romania-Ukraine border.

ROLDA is taking steps towards creating a new rescue center at the Romania-Ukraine border. This center will be a beacon of hope for animals in need, providing the best possible care for generations of animals in Ukraine and Romania. It will be a safe and nurturing environment where they can receive the care and attention they need and deserve. With the continued support of our donors, we are confident that this dream will become a reality, and together, we can make a real difference in the lives of animals suffering in Ukraine and Romania.
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The war continues in south east of Ukraine. We need you!

Shelter in Mykolaiv bombed, cat unit burn out

Shelter for dogs burn in Korosten

Together, we will fight for the life of every abandoned pet!

Ukraine animals need us TODAY but also after the war will end.

Impact of your donation

● Help 30 different rescuers and shelters
● Money for food and vet aid for approx 25000 animals
40 tons of supplies delivered (food for animals and humans, hay for farm animals)
● Over 300 animals sterilized
104 dogs extracted from war transported in our shelter
2 shelters repaired after being destroyed by bombs
● social campaign for seniors with pets

Testimonials from Ukrainians

My dear, God bless you for your help! Now I get just a few donations coming and the costs are high because of the sick and the disabled on top of all other about 200 of them in total to look after every day! Today I bought food for all from your donations: if it weren’t for you and ROLDA the dogs would have been hungry. Dana, Thank you very much!

Claire from Poltava
- June 2022 -

"Thank you so much for your financial support for our animals! I was very touched honestly I cried because this amount was enough to buy the ordered hay. Now I can pay for it in full and I think it will be enough for delivery!"

Ludmila from Borodyanka
- June 2022 -

"The community in Korosten is grateful to ROLDA. Thanks to you we managed to sterilize 110 cats. ROLDA is an amazing charity."

Lida from Korosten
- June 2022 -

Together with ROLDA for Ukraine animals
Helping refugees pets March – May 2022

Rescuing dogs from war

Ukraine war & animals in danger

Disclaimer:
ROLDA is a registered charity that helps animals in need. Funds raised through this appeal will be used to support the specific purpose of this appeal. In the event that funds raised exceed the specific needs of this appeal, any additional funds will be used to support the ongoing costs for welfare of animals under the care of ROLDA.

About photos:
ROLDA received the above photos from Ukrainian friends on Facebook, we have no responsibility for the copywriting claims because photos are used to reflect the situation and animals in Ukraine and have no commercial purpose.