Friday, March 18, 2016

Cats and dogs: fighters' best friends in east Ukraine

 A Ukrainian serviceman strokes his dog as he guards a checkpoint near the port city of Mariupol which remains Kiev's main stronghold in the conflict zone in Donetsk region (AFP Photo/Aleksey Filippov)
Yulia Silina:
 
Sartana (Ukraine) (AFP) - They fight rats, depression and even serve in combat roles -- dogs and yes, some cats, have turned into a prized companion for fighters on both sides of eastern Ukraine's separatist war.
   In Sartana, a suburb of the Sea of Azov port city of Mariupol that remains Kiev's main stronghold in the conflict zone, two purring cats live alongside hardened government soldiers who face daily threats at the battle front.
   The pets were rescued from pro-Russian rebel shells that fell on the nearby flashpoint village of Shyrokyne, devastated and all but abandoned by its 1,000 residents.
   "We and the cats have a win-win relationship," machine gunner Pavlo, a 28-year-old archaeologist from Kiev who was forced to stop work on his doctoral thesis after the insurgents revolted in April 2014, says while stroking his furry friend.
   "Cats are a domesticated animal. Where there is a cat, everything is alright."...Continue reading...
AFP news agency

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