The Loving Hearts (Liubliachi Sertsia) animal shelter was damaged as a result of a Russian attack on Odesa Oblast on 29 September. The Russians hit one of the shelter’s buildings. Ten cats and three dogs were killed.

Source: Olha Shymilina, Head of Loving Hearts, on Instagram

Quote: “We are on fire. We suffered an incoming strike. Three hit nearby and one hit us directly. All the feed and supplies [burned down]… There were animals inside… I managed to kick the door open. I hope they managed to jump out. It’s horrible… There were 15 cats there. I saved as many as I could.

The strike hit the building directly – over 400 sq m are [on fire]. Cats were inside and dogs were on the neighbouring territory. A ring of fire formed. Everything was destroyed, all supplies. Ten cats are gone, three dogs are gone. I managed to save five, but the others huddled into a corner. A missile, it was all a missile from Russia.”

Details: The animal protection organisation UAnimals stated that the fire also damaged the premises where Olha Shymilina lived. They are currently working to determine how to help the shelter and rescue the surviving animals.

On the shelter’s social media page, Olha also showed a cat that survived the strike. The animal suffered burns and was terrified but survived.

Background: Earlier in Kyiv Oblast, a fire broke out at Sirius Europe’s largest animal shelter, which cares for approximately 3,200 dogs and cats. The fire destroyed 20 enclosures and killed eight animals.

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https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/09/29/8055576/