War in Ukraine | Of cats and men

In the flood of refugees fleeing Ukraine at the very beginning of the Russian invasion, this was the first thing to strike: the crowd that stretched to the Polish border crossing was almost entirely made up of women and ‘children. The men, themselves, had been unable to do otherwise than stay behind, to defend the country.

The haggard refugees had very little luggage. Their turned upside down life fit in a suitcase. They had fled in catastrophe, taking only the essentials. But there was no question of abandoning the cat, whose pointed ears protruded from a backpack. No question of leaving the little dog behind. Nor the big one, for that matter. To avoid four or five days of waiting in the line of cars, a woman walked 17 kilometers to the border post in lugging his old german shepherd on his shoulders.

The weeks passed. And little by little, pets have become an integral part of the imagery of the conflict in Ukraine. From the front, war reporters sent photos of bloodied civilians, springing from the rubble clutching their scruffy cats. Around Kyiv, commuters flatly refused to be evacuated without their precious dog.

It may seem futile, like that, but these animals represented an immense source of comfort for men and women who had lost everything else.

There have been heartbreaking stories, like that of Anastasiia Yalanskaya, 26, killed while delivering food to a kennel in Boutcha, which had been without it for days. Natacha Derkach lost her life trying to save the animals of Dnipro.

Ukrainians love their animals, sometimes to death.

All the same, many animals had to be abandoned in a hurry. Often, when the Russian occupier retreats, the Ukrainian soldiers have the impression of entering ghost towns and villages. Only animals roam the streets. And they are many. “In fact, it seems that the less human life there is in one place, the more animal life there is,” said soldier Yehor Firsov in a podium at the Washington Post.

Stray animals are regularly adopted by Ukrainian troops. Because a dog can smell the enemy and alert soldiers to its approach. But above all, because it acts as an anti-stress ball (of hair) for all the members of the troop, explains Private Firsov.

On social networks, there are countless images of cats perched on the shoulders of soldiers, or curled up between their arms, purring with pleasure. Like any good cat video, these have a high potential for virality. To be honest, the internet is now obsessed with felines from Ukraine.

There is undoubtedly a part of calculation, not to say propaganda, in the diffusion of these images. From the start of the conflict, Ukraine has been adept at humanizing its soldiers. And what better than a cute twink to win the information war? The viral videos send a message: soldiers are ordinary people who care about animal welfare. Like everyone.

Perhaps it is the contrast that is so fascinating. Amidst the horror, houses destroyed, towns evacuated, lives turned upside down forever, the cats live their life as cats, impassive and nonchalant. And the Ukrainians are doing everything to make it last. As if to prove that nothing will make them lose their humanity, not even war. Especially not the war.

Of course, animals are not immune to conflict. Thousands have died since February 24. Thousands more will die over the winter. Many humans may not survive, either.

It is obviously to them that we must think, first and foremost. In the midst of war, the animal rescue operations carried out by Western organizations seem more or less out of place. An animal shelter on the Polish border, really? Aren’t there other priorities?

Notice, if we help Also their owners, it can be fine. But it’s not always the case. After the Taliban took Kabul in August 2021, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson caused a scandal by authorizing the evacuation of dogs from Afghanistan, while the humans who had worked on behalf of the British remained stuck there. -low…

That was absurd and indecent. In Ukraine, on the contrary, there is something comforting in seeing human beings persisting in taking care of their animals, despite the bombs. Nevertheless. Something profoundly… human.