Russian Strike Hits Odesa Animal Shelter, Killing 3 Dogs and 10 Cats

A Russian overnight strike hit the “Loving Hearts” animal shelter in Velykodolynske, Odesa region, killing several animals and destroying the facility’s supplies.

The shelter reported that three dogs and 10 cats were killed in the attack. The fate of other animals remained unknown following the strike.

The shelter’s owner managed to release animals from their enclosures during the attack, although it was not immediately clear whether all of them survived.

The strike also destroyed the shelter’s property and supplies, including its entire stock of animal food, equipment, and medicines.

The shelter was among several civilian sites damaged in the latest Russian attack on the Odesa region, which left eight people injured, as reported by State Emergency Service. Residential buildings were damaged and fires broke out at several locations, according to Ukrainian emergency officials.

A production facility, warehouses, a gymnasium, a dormitory, as well as passenger and freight vehicles were also damaged in the strikes. Emergency crews extinguished all fires caused by the attack.

The strike on the Odesa shelter follows previous Russian attacks that have affected facilities housing animals in Ukraine. On June 15, Russian forces launched a drone attack on Kharkiv, striking the city zoo in the Shevchenkivskyi district.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that the attack damaged animal enclosures and left several animals injured.

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