Puppy rescued from rubble after Russian shelling

Ukrainian authorities rescued a puppy that was under debris in a town in the Donbas region after Russian forces shelled the area amid the ongoing invasion.

Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko posted a video on Twitter on Wednesday showing rescue workers digging through the rubble to save the puppy, noting that he was returned to his owner, who Gerashchenko said also survived the recent attack. 

The puppy’s owner, seen in the video covered in debris and suffering minor injuries, thanked the responders for their work. 

“A village on Donbas was shelled by Russia and a puppy was under the debris. Rescuers were able to save him and give him back to the owner (who himself narrowly escaped death from shelling),” Gerashchenko, who serves as an adviser to the minister of internal affairs, wrote in a tweet. 

Gerashchenko also took time to applaud Ukraine’s rescue services for working around the clock to save lives during the conflict.

“Rescue services work 24/7 doing the hardest work and saving lives,” the Ukrainian official said. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has resulted in the deaths of thousands on both sides, and led more than 4.6 million refugees to flee Ukraine, according to United Nations data.