Help Ukrainian animals with our Emergency Fund.

Rescuing animals from the frontline in Ukraine
The situation for animals caught in the war in Ukraine remains extremely challenging. As fighting
continues across the country, many animals are left behind in damaged neighbourhoods without
food, care or safety. ROLDA continues to work alongside trusted local rescuers to evacuate animals
and support shelters operating in extremely difficult conditions.

Our Founder and CEO, Dana, recently joined a rescue mission with local rescuer Ruslan close to the
frontline near Kharkiv. The team drove three hours into a high-risk area to reach animals reported in
urgent need of help.

Over the course of this single mission, 36 animals were brought to safety, including 10 adult dogs, 13
puppies, 9 cats and 4 kittens. Many were frightened, exhausted and vulnerable, having survived in
areas affected by bombing and disruption.

The rescue operation began early in the morning and continued late into the night. After carefully
securing the animals, the team made the three-hour journey back to safety. The entire mission
lasted until after midnight. These evacuations are demanding and unpredictable, but they are often
the only chance animals have to survive.

Alongside emergency rescues, ROLDA continues to support local shelters and rescuers who are
struggling to cope with increasing numbers of abandoned and injured animals. Many face shortages
of food, limited veterinary access and damaged infrastructure, making outside support essential.

In recent days, the situation has worsened, with intensified drone and missile attacks reported
across multiple regions of Ukraine. Communities across the country remain under constant threat,
and conditions for both people and animals continue to deteriorate. As needs grow, local rescuers
are facing increasing pressure and urgently require ongoing support.

ROLDA will continue to respond to this evolving crisis by working closely with partners on the
ground. This includes joining rescue and evacuation missions, providing financial assistance to
shelters, and sending essential supplies such as food, veterinary medicines and equipment where
they are most urgently needed.

Thanks to your support, we are able to respond quickly, helping animals trapped in dangerous areas
and supporting the dedicated rescuers working tirelessly to protect them. Your support makes it
possible for ROLDA to continue this lifesaving work and remain alongside our partners in Ukraine
during this difficult time.

The plight of animals in Ukraine

The situation in Ukraine is dramatic for people and their animals trapped in the areas surrounding battle zones.  Large settlements are transformed into ruins, the houses often have no windows and poor access to water, electricity, and internet. The national infrastructure was a constant target and people who refused to flee their country back in March 2022 or any time after, are exhausted. Even if the war stops tomorrow, the consequences of the war (depopulation, economic disaster) will have a long-term impact on these innocent people and their animals. ROLDA, being an animal charity, will keep providing support to people with animals and homeless or abandoned animals, affected by this conflict. You continue to be the only hope they have.

Since the war started, ROLDA kept distance from political statements because we are a non-profit, non-political entity regardless of what we feel and think as individuals. The president of ROLDA has been in Ukraine to help evacuate animals from villages located near battle areas but also to meet the people which ROLDA support because of our donor’s generosity and compassion.

Animals are living in horrible conditions, especially in war zones. Shelters are in danger of being completely destroyed if a bomb accidentally falls in the wrong place. Many have already been destroyed or burned.

From the beginning of the war, the ROLDA team located just 8 km from the border with Ukraine and Moldova has been busy finding the best way to help people and animals affected by the war. 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.