My name is Victoriia Kruchina. I am an animal protection volunteer. Head of the Charity Organization "Ray of Mercy" in the city of Kup`yansk.

My city is now near the front line.

In 2016, I created the charity "Ray of Mercy" to oppose the capture and euthanasia of dogs in my area. We started the fight for the lives of animals. And we started sterilizing dogs with money from charitable funds.

The work of our organization became known and the residents of Kup`yansk changed their attitude towards animals. If until 2016-2017, it was not unusual for people who fed animals on the street to be harassed, then in 2022, almost everyone fed them. And treating dogs and cats badly was already a shame.

On February 27, 2022, columns of Russian tanks entered Kup`yansk. I didn`t have any thought to leave my city because I knew and know - I have to be here.

The first month of occupation began. No transport is running. The shops are closed. People have nothing to feed their animals

Urgently, those with grain to sell were found. I collected some money through SMM and we bought 45 kg bags of grain: 10, 20, 100 bags, even more, and distributed them to people for their animals. That's how the lives of many dogs and cats were saved during the occupation.

In the summer of 2022, shops and a local market opened. Laws of Ukraine that protect animals did not apply. Everything was a complete mess and we had no idea what to expect from the new (occupational) government in relation to our city's dogs and cats.

Despite the obstacles, it was possible to find a very good veterinarian, a woman from another city of the occupied territory, who before the war conducted subsidized mass sterilizations in her city. By starting sterilization we gained time,and the lives of the dogs were saved. 

Then our troops came (Ukrainian forces liberated the city in the fall of 2022), People began to evacuate en masse. The animals remained...

The whole time our work is going on. Many animals were found to have tumors and other health problems. All were successfully treated. Many animals continue to be operated on up until now. I take dogs and cats to a veterinary clinic in Kharkiv, with which I am currently cooperating.

I have to rent a car for regular transportations. The problem is that there are very few people left in my city now. And there are very few cars. And, the man whose car I rent refuses to drive in winter.