Ruslan Horbal, a Ukrainian animal rescuer, said after his vehicle was hit by a Russian drone while rescuing a group of stranded dogs near the front line, "I’m glad to be alive." The attack occurred in Kramatorsk, one of the war-torn cities in eastern Ukraine, and resulted in the death of one of the rescued dogs.
Details of the Attack and Injuries
Horbal, a volunteer with the Kharkiv Animal Rescue (ARK), faced an explosion immediately after gathering the animals into the vehicle for this rescue mission. He said, "It happened very quickly. There was an explosion, smoke, and glass everywhere." The 43-year-old was taken to the hospital, where he realized he had also been seriously injured.
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Risks of Animal Rescue in War Zones
Horbal and a French volunteer named Florian were severely injured in the attack. Florian sustained serious injuries to his hand and eye, while Horbal had wounds on his eye and ear. He pulled Florian out of the vehicle and immediately changed the damaged tire to get to the hospital. Both needed surgery after the attack, which occurred on August 31.
The ARK organization, financially supported by PETA, has relocated over 32,500 animals to safety since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. This work is extremely dangerous, and volunteers must navigate between missiles, drones, and bombings to find stranded animals.
Horbal said, "We are aware of the dangers, but the animals are still there and cannot understand the war. So we go to rescue them. Drones are especially dangerous because they can see our vehicles from above, and sometimes you have almost no warning."
He noted the death of one of the dogs that had joined them during the rescue, saying, "Unfortunately, one of the dogs we had just rescued was killed. It was very hard. The other animals survived and were taken to safe places." Despite the numerous dangers, Horbal does not intend to give up his work and stated that he will return to his duties as soon as he recovers.
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Source: independent.co.uk
