When Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, 11-year-old Veronika Krasevych could not find her cat, Masik, and he was left outside roaming the streets of Borodianka alone as Russia shelled the town.
As soon as it was safe, Krasevych went outside in search for him.
“We thought he was not alive anymore. And then we found him. We wanted to take him home but it was not possible any longer because he has gone feral and did not want to come with us,” Krasevych told Reuters.
Now, she spends her days feeding Masik and other feral cats in the ruins of her family home.
“I used to come here to search for my cat. I wanted to feed it and I saw all the other cats here,” she said. “I felt sorry for them and now I come here regularly to feed them.”
Masik is a regular at her sessions, rushing up to her when she arrives before retreating back to his new home in the ruined apartment block.
Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago on Feb. 24, 2022.
Since then, tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been forced to flee their homes.
“My friend’s grandma lived in this house and we used to visit her and walk around here. And now there is no grandma and nowhere to live,” Krasevych said, walking around the playground outside her ruined apartment block.
