The situation in Ukraine continues to get worse as Russian soldiers commit acts of violence beyond the scope of war – like bombing evacuation routes – and many Ukrainians flee their homes for safety in other countries.

But as they flee, family heirlooms, possessions, and even pets are left behind.

URGENT! An owner of a pet hotel in #Kiev was left with 67 cats/dogs who’s owners never returned. She will NOT abandon them. We urgently need a rescue back up at either the #Romania or #Poland border with #Ukraine. Transport is not yet 100% confirmed. #UkraineRussianWar #Rescue pic.twitter.com/F5zrHMOZch

— Kinga C Valentino (@kinga_valentino) March 8, 2022

For those who dont know Andrea Cisternino… he lives in Ukraine. He’s staying with his 400 rescue dogs & said he’d rather die with them than leave them & is continuing to help those dogs left behind💔💔
Read more info in thread below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MmnmSUsK6X

— RoCo 🇺🇦🇬🇧 STOP PUTIN! (@RoCoGB) March 3, 2022

One neighboring woman, however, isn’t letting that last one stand.

Via Fox News:

As more and more families decide to flee the country, many are being forced to make the heartbreaking decision to leave their pets behind. Traveling is incredibly dangerous right now, and for some, trying to make the journey with an animal is impossible.

Fortunately, there are still volunteers in the country who are trying to help.

Rasma Krecia is a Latvian volunteer worker in Ukraine who is hoping to drive abandoned pets out of the country and into Poland, Reuters reports.

“We’re going to try to take as many animals as we can out, back to Latvia, back to Europe, back to safety,” she said.

When she spoke with reporters, she was in the process of loading up three vans with cats and dogs at an animal sanctuary in Lviv. During that time period, a resident brought in a dozen puppies they had found in a box discovered at a nearby train station.

[…]

When asked why she was doing the work she was doing, Krecia explained, “If I have an opportunity, if I have a large van, if I can bring food here and take some animals back to safety, I can’t stay at home.”

If there is one potential long-term effect of this conflict, it could very well be the coming together of Europe against a common threat like Russia. Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen Poland take in thousands upon thousands of refugees without a second thought, Western European powers start working together to quickly offer support and sanctions, and acts of brotherhood and solidarity between these neighbors.

While Russia continues its insane, unjust war amid economic struggles and military blunders, Ukraine holds on as a country and many of its people fight to defend their homes. But as some have had to flee in the face of impossible odds, it’s good to see someone sticking their neck out not just in the big ways listed above, but in small ways like what Krecia and others are doing.