A young Ukrainian volunteer shot and killed after delivering food to a dog shelter is one of many atrocities that have led to renewed calls for Russia to put an end to their senseless war on Ukraine, a war that continues to put the lives of millions of people and pets in jeopardy.
Anastasiia Yalanskaya was one of three volunteers on her way back from delivering food to a dog shelter outside Kyiv when her car was believed to have been deliberately targeted by Russian troops using heavy weaponry.
“I asked her to be extra cautious. That nowadays, a mistake costs extremely much,” her husband, Yevhen Yalanskyi, said. “But she was helping everyone around. I asked her to think of evacuation but she did not listen.”
Yalanskaya had made the trip to drop off urgent supplies to the animal shelter, located 18 miles outside the nation’s capital city, after she learned that the dogs living there had gone three days without any food.
- Ukrainian animal shelter owner says he'd rather die than abandon his pets
- Meet Rambo: The stray puppy protecting Ukrainian soldiers
- Victims of the war in Ukraine refuse to leave their beloved pets behind
In a final Instagram story, posted just hours before her death, a smiling Yalanskaya is seen in the back of a vehicle surrounded by bags of dog food. Later that day, her car would be found riddled with bullets not far from her home.
“She was one of the best human beings I knew. She was committed to help, to help her friends and relatives and whoever needed help,” her husband said. While the soldiers intentions were unclear, the loved ones of the three volunteers believe they were deliberately taking aim at civilians.
Yalanskaya’s body remains in a morgue outside the city and because of heavy fighting, her family are unable to get to her, something her husband finds incredibly hard.
“Not being able to help her last journey is very painful for me,” Yevhen said. “She loved animals. We had a dog and a cat. She was the best partner I ever had.”
