Russian strike destroyed animal shelter in Odesa region: 10 cats and three dogs were killed. VIDEO+PHOTOS
As a result of the Russian attack on the Odesa region on 29 September, the ‘Loving Hearts’ animal shelter was destroyed by fire. Ten cats and three dogs were killed, whilst the shelter’s manager managed to rescue some of the other animals from the burning building.
According to Censor.NET, the shelter’s manager, Olha Shilimina, spoke about the consequences of the strike.
At the time of the first explosion, the woman was on the shelter’s premises feeding the animals. She said the blast wave threw her from the gate into the middle of the courtyard.
"I fell. I was thrown back by the blast wave. My head felt like jelly from the shockwave. When I got to my feet, I realised there might be a second strike and I needed to save the animals," Shilimina said.
She grabbed a bottle of water and a fire extinguisher and ran to the part of the shelter where the animals were.
During the next blast, the shelter manager managed to rescue five cats and one dog. The other frightened animals huddled in a corner, and the flames prevented her from reaching them.
"Five cats managed to get out; I just grabbed one dog. The rest had huddled in the very corner. It was impossible to get through because the flames had started to block everything," she noted.
According to updated figures, ten cats and three dogs died in the fire.
"The dogs, out of fear, had huddled in their kennels. The kennels were made of plastic; they simply burnt to the ground," Shilimina explained.
The fire spread across more than 400 square metres as a result of the attack. Food supplies and other property at the shelter were also destroyed. One of the cats that survived the attack suffered burns.
