77-yr-old Woman Refuses To Leave Her Animal Shelter, Continues To Live In Ukraine City

Humanity trumps all and it is absolutely true. An old woman who runs a shelter, along with three of her colleagues, has saved hundreds of animals amid Russia¡¯s war.

The story of Asya Serpinska was shared by Ukraine¡¯s official account, which regularly posts first-hand accounts of people living in the shadow of violence.

¡°77-year-old Asya Serpinska had spent two decades keeping her animal shelter going in Hostomel (Gostomel), near Kyiv,¡± the account wrote, sharing excerpts from a Washington Post story about the woman.

?? This is Asya Serpinska, 77 yo. She has maintained an animal shelter in #Gostomel for two decades. Despite constant shelling, she remained there with 3 colleagues. Together, they kept most of the 700 dogs and 100 cats alive - and even saved a lion ?

? @ heidi_levine pic.twitter.com/MG8ODZzkoP

¡ª National resistance: Ukraine (@ResistUA) May 2, 2022

¡°Despite the constant shelling, she stayed there with 3 colleagues. With common efforts, they kept most of the 700 dogs and 100 cats alive -- and even rescued a lion.¡±

When Russia launched its attack on Ukraine on February 24, Serpinska¡¯s first thought was not saving herself but rushing to the shelter to check on her animals. ¡°I knew it was my responsibility to look after them,¡± she told The Washington Post.

However, her most painful memories are those of the deaths of animals from shell fragments, and when the Russians shot dogs to death.

How the shelter is recovering

As soon as the woman found out that Russian troops had entered Ukraine, she left her family in Kyiv and used several modes of transport to get to her charges. She says she could not have left behind neither the animals nor her co-workers who remained in Hostomel.

The next day, the shelter was left without electricity ¨C the Russians had damaged the electrical grid. The water supply also stopped functioning. Difficult times began.

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Refrigerators for animal food also didn¡¯t work. The shelter was saved by a portable generator. It was bought by volunteers and Asya¡¯s husband risked his life to bring it to Hostomel.

Despite living under perpetual bombardments, Asya Serpinska and her assistants tried to avoid panic. They even saved other people¡¯s animals. Near the shelter there are several other buildings in which animals used to be kept. The animals had been left behind during the war.

Refuses to back down

Serpinska spent her childhood around animals. She grew up to be a mathematics professor and used her free time to volunteer at animal rescue groups. After retiring, she started her own shelter. Invading Russian forces have entered her shelter several times and threatened her but she refuses to back down.

The brave woman does not regret staying behind with the animals, as she had given over 20 years of her life to the shelter. Now, Asya wants only one thing: for all the four-legged shelter residents to find loving owners and never know fear again.

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Countless animals have died in Russian attacks on zoos and animal shelters. Many starved to death. Human casualties are staggering too. Thousands of civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Russia's attacks have left once-bustling cities in ruins, forcing over 54 lakh Ukrainians to flee to other countries. An estimated 77 lakh people have been internally displaced, news agency AFP reported.