'All life should be valued': Volunteers rush to save animals after Ukraine dam collapse
Dozens of volunteers for a Ukrainian animal rescue organization are racing to save as many animals as possible after a dam collapse flooded southern Ukraine's Kherson region
KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — The rescue volunteer holds out his hand, but the dog, stranded on a floating island of debris in a southern Ukrainian city inundated by flooding, is too traumatized to approach. Volodymyr Holubnichii offers the scared animal some food; the dog sniffs and relaxes.
“Don’t be scared,” Holubnichii soothingly tells the animal, which eventually accepts a leash and being carried to safety.
Holubnichii, a volunteer with Animal Rescue Kharkiv, spent days cruising the flooded streets of Kherson city after the Kakhovka dam collapsed on Tuesday and submerged entire towns. He is one among the organization's 70 volunteers determined to rescue as many animals as possible, plucking them from the rooftops and garages of flooded homes before they die of dehydration and hunger.
The flooding has killed civilians, ruined crops, displaced landmines, and caused widespread environmental damage. Kyiv accused Moscow of blowing up the Dnieper River dam and its hydropower plant, which the Kremlin’s forces controlled. Russia in turn blamed Ukraine for the catastrophe.
