“Saving the Animals of Ukraine:” An Untold Story of War

>>> AND FROM THE DEPTHS OF WAR AND MISERY EMERGES A COMMON CAUSE IN UKRAINE AS THEY ARE BANDING TOGETHER TO RESCUE PEOPLE'S PETS LEFT BEHIND BY THOSE WHO WERE FORCED TO FLEE.

SOME EXTRAORDINARY EFFORTS DOCUMENTED BY FILMMAKER ANTON PTUSHKIN, AND HE JOINS HARI SREENIVASAN TO DISCUSS WHY HE MADE "SAVING THE ANIMALS OF UKRAINE."

>> CHRISTIANE, THANKS.

ANTON PTUSHKIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

YOUR FILM, "SAVING THE ANIMALS OF UKRAINE," IT TAKES A DIFFERENT TYPE OF LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY TO THE PEOPLE AND TO THE ANIMALS.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS?

>> FRANKLY, IT JUST -- WE COME UP WITH IDEA BACK THEN IN 2022 WHEN WE SAW IN THE BEGINNING OF THE FULL-SCALE INVASION, THERE WAS A MASS AMOUNT OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF PEOPLE TRYING TO SAVE THEMSELVES WITH THEIR ANIMALS, SOMETIMES RISKING THEIR LIVES.

AND WE WERE SO STRUCK BY THIS FOOTAGE.

SO WE DECIDED TO JUST, YOU KNOW, TO INVESTIGATE THIS THING.

AND AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A HORRIBLE TIME, THE MOST DARK TIME I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

I LITERALLY SAW THAT I'M GOING DIE NEXT DAY OR ANOTHER DAY.

AND THOSE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS WITH PEOPLE AND ANIMALS, THEY WERE SOME KIND OF LIGHT OF HOPE AMIDST THE DARKEST TIME.

SO WE DECIDED TO FOLLOW THIS TOPIC.

AND TWO YEARS LATER, WE CAME UP WITH THE FILM.

>> THE ENTIRE WORLD IS SEEING THE DEPTH OF ANIMAL SUFFERING.

>> PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON.

ANIMALS, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND.

>> THE UKRAINE WAR HAS REALLY BEEN AN EYE-OPENER TO MANY OF US AS TO THE COMPLEXITIES OF OUR OBLIGATIONS TO ANIMALS IN WARTIME.

>> NO ONE IS GOING TO BE LEFT BEHIND, INCLUDING THEIR PETS.

>> YOU INTRODUCE US TO SOME AMAZING INDIVIDUALS, PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T START THEIR LIVES AS ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS WHO WOULD BE SURPRISED TO FIND THEMSELVES DOING THIS.

BUT WHY DO YOU THINK SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR THEIR WHOLE LIVES, WHY ARE THEY NOW OUT THERE TAKING CARE OF DOGS AND CATS AND ANY KIND OF ANIMAL THAT THEY CAN FIND?

>> YOU KNOW, THIS WAR HAS CHANGED FOREVER EVERYONE.

BECAUSE I USED TO BE A -- BEFORE THIS INVASION.

RIGHT NOW I'M A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER.

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY STARTED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO CONTRIBUTE SOMEHOW TO THIS WAR.

AGAIN, AS ONE OF OUR TALENTS SAID THAT I CAN HELP ANIMALS, AND I JUST HAVE TO DO THAT.

BECAUSE I WANT TO HELP SOMEHOW.

BUT, I MEAN, THE BRAVERY, WE WERE AMAZED BY THE BRAVERY OF SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY, YOU KNOW, GOING TO THE FRONT LINES UNDER BOMBING, AND TRYING TO SAVE ANIMALS OR TIGERS LIKE BIG CATS.

FOR ME, IT'S JUST AN EXTRAORDINARY BRAVERY.

>> YEAH, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT.

YOU SHOW US A LION THAT HAS BEEN RESCUED.

AND IT WASN'T ALONE.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PERSON WHO RISKS HER LIFE TO DO THIS, AND WHAT IS SHE FINDING WITH THESE BIG ANIMALS?

>> THIS BRAVE WOMAN, HER NAME IS NATALIA PROPOVA.

AND SHE HAS BEEN SAVING BIG CATS, LIONS, TIGERS FROM MILITARY ACTIVE ZONES FOR TWO YEARS.

SO THIS BRAVE WOMAN, SHE TRANQUILIZE THESE BIG CATS HERSELF AND DRIVE IN FROM THESE MILITARY ACTIVE ZONES TO KYIV TO SAVE THEM.

AND SHE FOUND THESE LION CALLED RETZLE, AND HE WAS BEING KEPT LIKE A PET IN A TINY CAGE.

HE WAS UNDER BOMBARDMENT.

SO HE HAD REALLY SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD.

>> WE AS PEOPLE AND ANIMALS, WE SHARE ALMOST THE SAME SUFFERING.

SO ANIMALS CAN SUFFER REALLY SEVERE.

AND SHE BROUGHT THIS LION TO KYIV TO A SAFE ZONE, BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT THERE IS NO SAFE ZONE RIGHT NOW IN UKRAINE.

AND THIS POOR LION AGAIN WAS UNDER RUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKE, AND HE WAS IMMIGRATED EVENTUALLY TO SPAIN.

AND HE RECOVERED.

HE RECOVERED.

AND THAT'S AN AMAZING STORY.

>> SO FROM THE BIGGEST CATS YOU ALSO HAVE THIS STORY THAT SEEMED TO CAPTURE A LOT OF HEARTS AND MINDS IN UKRAINE OF VERY SMALL CAT STUCK ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR OF JUST A BOMBED-OUT BUILDING.

IT'S REMARKABLE THAT IT WAS EVEN SPOTTED.

>> YEAH.

IT'S ACTUALLY IT'S A MIRACLE.

AND NOT EVEN SPOTTED, BUT THIS CAT, I MEAN, HE SURVIVED DURING 60 DAYS WITHOUT FOOD AND WATER, AND I ASK A LOT OF PEOPLE, HOW COME?

HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

AND NOBODY CAN TELL ME.

HOW IT HAPPENED, WHY HE SURVIVED.

BUT THE TRUTH IS HE SURVIVED AND BECOME ONE OF THE SYMBOLS OF THIS WAR.

SYMBOLS OF STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE OF UKRAINIANS.

AND THE NAME OF THIS CAT IS SHAFA.

>> IT'S SUCH A HEARTWARMING STORY, YOU KNOW.

>> YEAH.

>> FOR ME, IT'S, I DON'T KNOW, WHY WE ARE MOVED SO MUCH BY ANIMALS, BUT FOR ME, THIS WHOLE MOVIE, IT'S ABOUT THIS CLOSENESS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND ANIMALS AND OUR PETS.

AND I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT, YEAH, THIS IS MOVIE ABOUT THE WAR, BUT IT'S JUST A HEARTWARMING AND KIND MOVIE.

>> CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PATRON?

THIS IS POSSIBLY THE MOST FAMOUS DOG IN THE WORLD NOW.

BUT IN CASE SOMEBODY IN OUR AUDIENCE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS LITTLE JACK RUSSELL TERRIER, WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT HIM?

>> HE WAS BEFORE THE WAR HE WAS JUST A REGULAR DOG.

I MEAN, REGULAR JACK RUSSELL TERRIER.

BUT BECAUSE HIS DOG FATHER, DOG PARENT IS COLONEL OF ENGINEER TROOPS.

SO HIS BASIC JOB IS TO FIND THE MINES, HE TEACH PATRON WHEN THE FULL INVASION STARTED TO BASICALLY TO LOOK FOR THE MINES.

AND PATRON BECOME LIKE A BOMB-SNIFFING DOG.

>> PATRON'S TRAINING BEGAN WITH GETTING ACCUSTOMED TO THE SOUND OF EXPLOSION.

ALONG WITH THE SMELL OF GUNPOWDER.

>> HE PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS.

WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD, HE HAD TRADED IN FETCHING STICKS AND SLIPPERS FOR SLEUTHING OUT EXPLOSIVE OBJECTIVES.

EVEN EXPLOSIVES HIDDEN DEEP IN THE GROUND.

>> HE IS REALLY TINY, AND HE WEIGHS ONLY 4 KILOGRAMS, BUT IN ORDER TO TRIGGER THE MINE, YOU HAVE TO PRESS 5 PLUS KILOGRAMS.

SO HE HAS THIS SPECIAL ABILITY.

HE IS INVULNERABLE, LIKE A SUPERMAN.

SO HE TAKES CARE OF THE MINES.

YEAH, THE MOST INTERESTING THING THAT HE IS CHEERING UP ALL PEOPLE OF UKRAINE, AND HE HAS BEEN RAISING A LOT OF MONEY FOR ENGINEER TROOPS BECAUSE A LOT OF ENGINEERS UNFORTUNATELY THEY CONTINUE TO BLOW UP ON THE MINES AND SOME LOST THEIR LIMBS.

AND PATRON HELPS THEM WITH REHABILITATION.

AND PROSTHETICS.

>> YOU FIND THROUGHOUT THE FILM THE IMPACT THAT AN ANIMAL IS ABLE TO HAVE, WHETHER IT'S ON A CHILD WHO IS HEALING, AN ADULT WHO IS HEALING IN THEIR OWN WAY, OR YOU EVEN HAVE SCENES OF SOLDIERS WHO ESSENTIALLY ARE STILL FIGHTING, BUT THEY'RE KIND OF MAYBE ADOPTING SOME OF THESE ALONG THE WAY.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

>> I WAS AMAZED, BECAUSE I WENT TO FRONTLINE, AND I SAW LIKE A LOT OF SOLDIERS WHO KEEP, YOU KNOW, THE STRAY DOGS AND CATS NEXT TO THEM.

AND THEY FIND IT QUITE AMUSING, BUT THEY DO IT BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT HELP -- IT HELPS DRASTICALLY TO COPE WITH THE STRESS THEY'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH.

JUST KEEPING THE TINY CATS CLOSE TO YOU, IT MEANS YOU'RE LIKE A HOME.

YOU'RE AT HOME.

AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT I CAN SURELY SAY THAT ANIMALS, PETS, THEY TREMENDOUSLY HELPS YOU TO COPE WITH THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD AND COPE WITH THE STRESS.

AND WE'VE SEEN IT LIKE MANY TIMES.

AND I BELIEVE THAT KEEPING ANIMALS IN YOUR HOUSE IS JUST REALLY HELPS TO FOR YOUR PSYCHE, FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.

>> YOU GO TO WHAT LOOKED LIKE A NATURE PRESERVE TYPE OF AREA, AND YOU SHOWED HOW THE ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE THAT THE WAR IS TAKING ON OTHER ANIMALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

TELL OUR AUDIENCE ABOUT THAT.

>> I'VE BEEN TO A COUPLE OF NATURE RESERVES, AND ONE OF THESE RESERVES IS CLOSE TO ODESA, WHICH IS THE BLACK SEA.

AND WE WERE FOLLOWING THE SCIENTISTS WHO HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE MASS MORTALITY OF DOLPHINS IN THE BLACK SEA.

SOME OF THESE DOLPHINS ARE ENDEMIC, WHICH MEAN THAT THE BLACK SEA IS THEIR ONLY AREA OF HABITAT.

AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT FIVE OR 10,000 CREATURES THAT DIED AT LEAST IN 2022 WHEN THERE WAS A LOT OF RUSSIAN SUBMARINES AND RUSSIAN WARSHIPS USING THEIR SONARS.

SO I BELIEVE THAT, AND SCIENTISTS SPEAK ABOUT THAT, THAT THE SONARS CAUSE LIKE ACOUSTIC TRAUMA FOR DOLPHINS.

AND THAT'S WHAT'S CAUSED THE MASS MORTALITY.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE REAL SCALE OF THESE EVENTS ARE UNKNOWN BECAUSE A LOT OF AREAS, THEY'RE STILL UNDER RUSSIAN OCCUPATION.

A LOT OF NATURAL RESERVES STILL ARE UNDER RUSSIAN OCCUPATION.

SO WE DON'T CLEARLY KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT THERE.

SO RUSSIAN IS COMMITTING ECHO CIDDE FOR SURE.

THE CONSEQUENCE WILL BE TREMENDOUS, BUT WE CAN'T CLEARLY SAY RIGHT NOW ABOUT THE TOTAL CONSEQUENCES.

BECAUSE, AGAIN, WAR IS STILL GOING ON.

>> IN MAKING THIS FILM AND FOR OTHER REASONS, YOU'VE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH IN UKRAINE NOW FOR THROUGHOUT THIS CONFLICT.

HOW -- HOW HAVE THE PLACES THAT YOU GREW UP CHANGED?

>> I MEAN, I GREW UPIN LUHANSK, I DON'T HAVE A HOME BECAUSE MY CITY IS UNDER OCCUPATION FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS.

KYIV BECOME MY SECOND HOME.

BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S, AGAIN, UNDER LIKE THREATS.

AND WHILE WE'RE SPEAKING WITH YOU, I MEAN RUSSIANS, THEY ARE TAKING ATTEMPTS TO INVADE.

LIKE THEY LITERALLY CROSSED THE BORDER OF UKRAINE AGAIN AND TRYING TO ASSAULT KHARKIV, WHICH IS THE SECOND BIGGEST CITY IN UKRAINE.

AND THEY'RE JUST LIKE WIPING OUT THE CITY, TRYING TO LEVEL TO IT THE GROUND.

SO, YEAH, I SEE A BIG -- RIGHT NOW.

>> HERE YOU ARE PROTEST PEROT MOATING THIS FILM.

AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU HAVE POSSIBLY FRIENDS WHO YOU'RE LOSING IN THIS WAR.

>> YES.

AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, LIKE THIS MOVIE FOR ME IS AN ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE THESE HISTORICAL MOMENTS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE TALENTS THAT I SHOT, THEY'RE DEAD RIGHT NOW.

UNFORTUNATELY.

>> SOME OF THE PEOPLE YOU'VE SHOT FOR THIS FILM ARE HERE NO LONGER?

>> YEAH, YEAH, UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE THEY WERE -- LITERALLY I KNOW ONE SOLDIER WHICH I SHOT ALMOST 1 1/2 YEARS AGO IN DONBAS, AND HE WAS KILLED IN THE MAY 2023.

AND I SHOT HIM WITH A REALLY FUNNY DOG.

HIS NAME WITH PINK.

AND IT WAS REALLY ADORABLE DOG.

BUT AFTER HIS DEATH, HIS WIFE, THE WIFE OF THIS SOLDIER, SHE DECIDED TO ADOPT THIS DOG IN MEMORY OF HER DECEASED HUSBAND.

AND RIGHT NOW THIS DOG LIVE WITH THE WIFE.

SO, AGAIN, FOR ME IT'S JUST A HEARTWARMING STORY.

>> BEFORE THIS, YOU WERE A TRAVEL BLOGGER AND VLOGGER.

YOU HAD A YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

IT WAS QUITE SUCCESSFUL.

PEOPLE IN UKRAINE, AS WELL AS PEOPLE IN RUSSIA WATCHING AND COMMENTING.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT LIFE?

>> IT'S GONE, UNFORTUNATELY.

AND, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, THE STORY OF PATRON IS REALLY PROMINENT, BECAUSE PATRON COMPLETELY CHANGED HIS LIFE.

AND FOR ME, IT'S REALLY -- IT'S REALLY THE SAME.

SO, YEAH, I USED TO BE A TRAVEL BLOGGER.

BUT YOU KNOW, CHERNOV WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF "20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL," ACADEMY AWARDED FILM THIS YEAR, HE SAID I WOULD RATHER NOT HAVE BECOME THE FILMMAKER FOR SUCH A CAUSE.

THAT'S MY CASE.

REALLY, I DON'T WANT TO MAKE COMMENTARIES ABOUT THE WAR, BUT I HAVE TO DO IT, BECAUSE I CAN AND I WANT TO SPREAD THE TRUTH ABOUT UKRAINE AND WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

AND THE FACT THAT WAR HASN'T FINISHED.

>> BECAUSE YOU SPOKE RUSSIAN, YOU WERE A LITTLE BIT OF A CULTURAL BRIDGE TOO BETWEEN UKRAINIANS AND RUSSIANS WHO WERE BOTH WATCHING YOUR CHANNEL.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE WAR STARTED WITH THE RUSSIAN VIEWERS THAT YOU HAD?

>> YEAH, I HAD -- I HAD -- MY MAIN CHANNEL IS 5.5 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS.

AND LITERALLY HALF OF THEM WERE FROM RUSSIA.

AND I USED TO SPEAK RUSSIAN.

BUT I COMPLETELY QUIT RUSSIAN, AND NOW I'M SWITCHED TO UKRAINIAN.

AND LIKE HALF OF MY AUDIENCE -- ACTUALLY MORE THAN HALF, BECAUSE EXCEPT FROM RUSSIA, THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM KAZAKHSTAN WHO USED TO SPEAK RUSSIAN AS WELL.

YEAH, I LOST KIND OF MY AUDIENCE.

BUT, AGAIN, THIS IS MY CONSCIOUS DECISION BECAUSE I HAVE TO KEEP AND MAIN A UKRAINIAN TRADITION.

AGAIN, LANGUAGE IS A TOOL.

IT'S ACTUALLY A WEAPON.

RUSSIA USES IT AS A WEAPON AGAINST UKRAINE AS A CULTURE, AS A TOOL OF CULTURE OPPRESSION.

SO, AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE.

>> WHAT'S THE CONSEQUENCE BEEN?

IS THERE ACTION FROM THE RUSSIAN STATE GOVERNMENT TOWARD OR AGAINST YOU, I SHOULD SAY?

>> YEAH, THEY BANNED ME TO ENTER RUSSIA FOR 50 YEARS.

IT'S FUNNY.

I MEAN, THAT'S FUNNY.

I'VE BEEN.

I THINK THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT I'M KIND OF PRO-RUSSIAN GUY.

BUT OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT.

>> IT NEVER FAILS TO IMPRESS ME WHY HUMAN BEINGS SEEM TO CARE IN A DIFFERENT WAY WHEN WE SEE ANIMALS THAT ARE LEFT BEHIND OR IN TROUBLE.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE CONNECT TO STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS?

IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CONNECTION THAN WHEN YOU DO A STORY ABOUT THE HUMAN COSTS OF WAR TOO.

>> TO HELP SUCH HELPLESS CREATURES, I THINK THAT SOMETIMES WHEN WE RESCUE ANIMALS, ACTUALLY ANIMALS IS RESCUE US, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY GIVE US SOME MEANING.

AND ESPECIALLY DURING THIS SUCH A HORRIBLE EVENTS, THEY -- WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR HUMANITY, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY -- I CAN SOUND CYNICAL, BUT, YOU KNOW, HUMAN LIFE BECOME DEVALUED DURING THE WAR.

AND YOU, AGAIN, LOSE YOUR HUMANITY.

BUT ANIMALS, SAVING ANIMALS BRINGS YOU BACK TO BEING HUMAN.

>> THE FILM CALLED "SAVING THE ANIMALS OF UKRAINE."

DIRECTOR ANTON PTUSHKIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.