Latest news with #DmytroKuleba
Fox News
25-06-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Ukraine's ex-foreign minister backs Trump on defense spending, warns diplomacy with Putin is nearly exhausted
EXCLUSIVE - NATO members committed Wednesday to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, heeding President Donald Trump's calls for the transatlantic military alliance to take more steps to bolster its security. Ukraine's former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Fox News Digital the move is a big, immediate win for Trump and would be a significant win for Europe's future if it takes the increase in defense spending seriously and begins to deliver on the commitment. "This is a serious lesson that Europe will have to learn. Not only investing, but also spending. Spending in a way that will allow them to show to the public that they're making a good investment in their security and their economies and to send a message to their enemy: do not dare to attack us because we are ready, we are prepared to strike back," he said. In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Digital, Kuleba bluntly assessed the state of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, arguing the current diplomatic process is "dead." Russian President Vladimir Putin has escalated attacks on Ukraine in recent months, targeting Kyiv with large-scale missile and drone attacks. The Russian strongman has refused to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by the United States and its European allies earlier this year. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in mid-June, Putin said he considers the Russian and Ukrainian peoples to be one. "In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours," he told attendees to applause. Trump has held off on imposing additional sanctions on Moscow, preferring to wait and see if his diplomatic efforts will bear fruit. "Putin does not feel any pressure. And therefore, he does not really get why he should change his behavior," said Kuleba. "I'm afraid diplomacy has zero chance to succeed at this stage under these circumstances, which means that there will be more killings and more destruction." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Putin's goals remain clear: "He wants all of Ukraine." Zelenskyy attended the G7 summit in Canada last week, meeting with world leaders and securing nearly $2 billion in aid from Prime Minister Mark Carney. His meeting with Trump was canceled after the U.S. president left Kananaskis early, citing escalating tensions in the Middle East due to the Israel-Iran conflict. The two met on the sidelines of the NATO summit on Wednesday and discussed the purchase of American air defense systems. Kuleba told Fox News Digital that Trump is well-positioned to end Russia's war. "His disruptive approach, his readiness to make rapid and strong action — these are the things that are needed to bring two sides to first, [the] negotiating table, and then to an agreement." The Ukrainian diplomat explained that the U.S. needs to reshuffle three things to revitalize the negotiating process: sticks, carrots and the pressure of time. Kuleba said Trump created the pressure of time by stating he could end the war in 24 hours and calling on both sides to sit down and negotiate. "What happened next is that all sticks went to Ukraine and all carrots went to Russia. It has never worked like this centuries ago in the history of diplomacy. It doesn't work like this, and it's not going to work like this, OK, because the right way to do it is to create a pressure of time to avoid endless deliberations and to find the right balance of sticks and carrots for each side," he told Fox News Digital. Trump and Putin recently spoke by phone on June 14 after Israel struck Iran's nuclear facilities. The Russian leader said he was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Peace talks in Istanbul have failed to produce much other than prisoner of war exchanges as Putin doubles down on his maximalist demands. Kuleba said the best thing for Europe to do as negotiations stall is to continue producing and buying weapons, not only for Ukraine, but also for itself. "For decades, Europe was relying on the United States and was going back and forth with Washington, checking every decision they were going to make, but it's just not sustainable anymore," he explained. "They have to learn how to take care of themselves, sorry to say it. The sooner they do it, the better for them, us and everyone else." "You cannot build your life knowing that America is paying for my security, Russian gas is paying for my cheap energy prices and [the] socialism that I'm building. And Chinese minerals [are] allowing me to — are paying for my industrial growths. It's not sustainable. You cannot depend on one player in the most critical fundamentals for your life," he added. The European Union proposed an 18th sanctions package against Russia in June, targeting its energy and banking sectors. "We want peace for Ukraine. Despite weeks of diplomatic attempts, despite President Zelenskyy's offer of an unconditional ceasefire, Russia continues to bring death and destruction to Ukraine," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas in a joint statement. "Russia's goal is not peace, it is to impose the rule of might. Therefore, we are ramping up pressure on Russia. Because strength is the only language that Russia will understand."
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'UK mothers must be prepared for sons to die defending Finland'
Ukraine's former foreign minister has starkly warned that British mothers must accept their sons have to die defending Europe, otherwise there is no Nato. Dmytro Kuleba told Metro that Vladimir Putin's goal was to 'expose' the 'falsehood' of the Nato alliance, which has a mutual assistance clause that compels its members to fight for each other in the event of an attack of another member. He said: 'Putin may invade Nato territory soon – so now what? Is Nato going to send a division to fight back? Many people believe that the real test for Nato is whether the US is going to fight for Europe. The real test will be whether British mothers will actually accept that their sons have to die for Finland or Estonia or Poland. If they don't, there is no Nato.' The chilling warning comes after Germany's spy chief warned that Putin is plotting to attack a Nato territory to test the bloc's mutual assistance clause. 'This is is how World War II started. 'Why fight for Danzig [now the city of Gdańsk]? Let's give it to Hitler, it is just a city in Poland. Why should we die for it?' That was the question asked by western European nations [at the time]. 'And this is exactly the question that Putin is going to pose to Nato. Europe is already spending money on weapons, but it has to do so much faster. 'But the real question is, who is going to tell the voters that the threat of the war is real?' Mr Kubela (pictured), who was in office between March 2020 and September 2024, said his warning comes from personal experience, telling Metro that as minister of foreign affairs during Russia's invasion, he made the mistake of believing that Russia would withdraw after losing 'like 10,000, 20,000 soldiers.' But as Russia nears the point of having one million soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine since war broke out in February 2022, he pleaded with British citizens not to underestimate Putin. He said: 'People in Britain or any other country can listen to what I'm saying or they can decide that I am a warmongering Ukrainian who is trying to pull them into my war. 'I am perfectly fine with any choice they make. What I can say, what I can urge them, is not to repeat our mistakes. 'The biggest mistake Ukraine made was that we did not believe that this can happen to us on this scale. We, in Ukraine, also believed that it is not going to happen to us because Putin would never dare to do it. So this is the mistake that people are making. I look around in Europe and I just see the same pattern happening. The same pattern of behaviour. 'Do you think that if Ukraine was able to attack airfields in Russia, 1,000 miles away from Ukraine, Russia is not able to attack any piece of infrastructure in any European country? That would be a very, very big mistake to think so.' Earlier, Bruno Kahl, the outgoing head of Germany's federal intelligence service (BND), said in a rare interview that it has 'concrete' evidence Russia no longer believes Nato's Article 5 will be honoured. This is the clause which guarantees that if one member is attacked, all others will come to its aid. He told the German podcast Table Briefings: 'We see that Nato is supposed to be tested in its mutual assistance promise. There are people in Moscow who don't believe that Nato article 5 still works.' He said: 'We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that [Russia's full-scale invasion of] Ukraine is only one step on Russia's path towards the west.' But Kahl was quick to say: 'This doesn't mean that we expect large tank battalions to roll from the east to the west.' He added that Russia didn't need to do this, as they could simply send 'little green men to Estonia to protect supposedly oppressed Russian minorities.' Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea involved occupation of buildings and offices by Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms and civilian clothes, who came to be known as the 'little green men' when Moscow initially denied their identity. Kahl, who is set to become Germany's ambassador to the Vatican, did not specify which officials in Moscow were thinking along these lines. He said that Moscow's ultimate aim was to push NATO back to its 1990s borders, 'kick out' the US from Europe and aggressively expand its influence. 'We need to nip this in the bud', he said. Key to NATO cooperation, he pointed out, was the US and its enormous army. Kahl said his contacts with U.S. counterparts had left him convinced they took the Russian threat seriously. 'They take it as seriously as us, thank God,' he said. It comes after NATO boss Mark Rutte warned that Britons should start learning Russian if the UK doesn't ramp up defence spending. Mark Rutte issued the chilling message while in London for talks with PM Sir Keir Starmer , ahead of a NATO summit later this month. NATO allies are expected to be asked at the gathering to agree a commitment on allocating 3.5 per cent of GDP to core defence spending by the 2030s. A further 1.5 per cent of GDP would be required for 'defence-related expenditure' under Mr Rutte's plan to strengthen the alliance. It follows pressure from US President Donald Trump on European members of NATO to hike their military budgets. There are questions about how the UK would fund such an huge increase - roughly equivalent to an extra £30billion annually. Britain allocated 2.33 per cent of GDP to defence last year, and Sir Keir has only committed to reaching 2.5 per cent by April 2027. The Labour Government has an 'ambition' of increasing that to 3 per cent in the next parliament - likely to run to 2034. Speaking at Chatham House on Monday, Mr Rutte was asked if he believed Chancellor Rachel Reeves should raise taxes to meet NATO's commitments. The NATO secretary-general replied: 'It's not up to me to decide, of course, how countries pay the bill. Look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5 per cent, including the 3.5 per cent core defence spending, you could still have the NHS... the pension system etc., but you had better learn to speak Russian.' Mr Rutte (pictured) would not reveal the deadline for when he hopes NATO allies will spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence. Asked about a deadline, he told reporters: 'I have a clear view on when we should achieve that. 'I keep that to myself, because we are having these consultations now with allies, and these discussions are ongoing. 'We will in the end agree on a date when we have to be there.'
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'British mothers must accept their sons have to die to defend Finland, or there is no NATO': Chilling warning as Putin looks to test if Europe will stand up to his forces
Ukraine's former foreign minister has starkly warned that British mothers must accept their sons have to die defending Europe, otherwise there is no NATO. Dmytro Kuleba, who was in office between March 2020 and September 2024, told Metro that Vladimir Putin 's goal was to 'expose' the 'falsehood' of the NATO alliance, which has a mutual assistance clause that compels its members to fight for each other in the event of an attack of another member. He said: 'Putin may invade NATO territory soon – so now what? Is NATO going to send a division to fight back?' 'Many people believe that the real test for NATO is whether the US is going to fight for Europe. 'The real test will be whether British mothers will actually accept that their sons have to die for Finland or Estonia or Poland. If they don't, there is no NATO.' The chilling warning comes after Germany 's spy chief warned that Putin is plotting to attack a NATO territory to test the bloc's mutual assistance clause. 'This is is how World War II started. 'Why fight for Danzig [now the city of Gdańsk]? Let's give it to Hitler, it is just a city in Poland. Why should we die for it?' That was the question asked by western European nations [at the time]. 'And this is exactly the question that Putin is going to pose to NATO. Europe is already spending money on weapons, but it has to do so much faster. 'But the real question is, who is going to tell the voters that the threat of the war is real?' Kubela said his warning comes from personal experience, telling Metro that as Minister of Foreign Affairs during Russia's invasion, he made the mistake of believing that Russia would withdraw after losing 'like 10,000, 20,000 soldiers.' But as Russia nears the point of having one million soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine since war broke out in February 2022, he pleaded with British citizens not to underestimate Putin. He said: 'People in Britain or any other country can listen to what I'm saying or they can decide that I am a warmongering Ukrainian who is trying to pull them into my war. 'I am perfectly fine with any choice they make. What I can say, what I can urge them, is not to repeat our mistakes. 'The biggest mistake Ukraine made was that we did not believe that this can happen to us on this scale. We, in Ukraine, also believed that it is not going to happen to us because Putin would never dare to do it. 'So this is the mistake that people are making. I look around in Europe and I just see the same pattern happening. The same pattern of behaviour. 'Do you think that if Ukraine was able to attack airfields in Russia, 1,000 miles away from Ukraine, Russia is not able to attack any piece of infrastructure in any European country? That would be a very, very big mistake to think so.' Earlier, Bruno Kahl, the outgoing head of Germany's federal intelligence service (BND), said in a rare interview that it has 'concrete' evidence that Russia no longer believes NATO's Article 5 will be honoured. This is the clause which guarantees that if one member is attacked, all others will come to its aid. He told the German podcast Table Briefings: 'We see that NATO is supposed to be tested in its mutual assistance promise. There are people in Moscow who don't believe that NATO article 5 still works.' He said: 'We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that [Russia's full-scale invasion of] Ukraine is only one step on Russia's path towards the west.' But Kahl was quick to say: 'This doesn't mean that we expect large tank battalions to roll from the east to the west.' He added that Russia didn't need to do this, as they could simply send 'little green men to Estonia to protect supposedly oppressed Russian minorities.' Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea involved occupation of buildings and offices by Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms and civilian clothes, who came to be known as the 'little green men' when Moscow initially denied their identity. Kahl, who is set to become Germany's ambassador to the Vatican, did not specify which officials in Moscow were thinking along these lines. He said that Moscow's ultimate aim was to push NATO back to its 1990s borders, 'kick out' the US from Europe and aggressively expand its influence. 'We need to nip this in the bud', he said. Key to NATO cooperation, he pointed out, was the US and its enormous army. Kahl said his contacts with U.S. counterparts had left him convinced they took the Russian threat seriously. 'They take it as seriously as us, thank God,' he said. It comes after NATO boss Mark Rutte warned that Britons should start learning Russian if the UK doesn't ramp up defence spending. Mark Rutte issued the chilling message while in London for talks with PM Sir Keir Starmer, ahead of a NATO summit later this month. NATO allies are expected to be asked at the gathering to agree a commitment on allocating 3.5 per cent of GDP to core defence spending by the 2030s. A further 1.5 per cent of GDP would be required for 'defence-related expenditure' under Mr Rutte's plan to strengthen the alliance. It follows pressure from US President Donald Trump on European members of NATO to hike their military budgets. There are questions about how the UK would fund such an huge increase - roughly equivalent to an extra £30billion annually. Britain allocated 2.33 per cent of GDP to defence last year, and Sir Keir has only committed to reaching 2.5 per cent by April 2027. The Labour Government has an 'ambition' of increasing that to 3 per cent in the next parliament - likely to run to 2034. Speaking at Chatham House on Monday, Mr Rutte was asked if he believed Chancellor Rachel Reeves should raise taxes to meet NATO's commitments. The NATO secretary-general replied: 'It's not up to me to decide, of course, how countries pay the bill. 'Look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5 per cent, including the 3.5 per cent core defence spending, you could still have the NHS... the pension system etc., but you had better learn to speak Russian.' Mr Rutte would not reveal the deadline for when he hopes NATO allies will spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence. Asked about a deadline, he told reporters: 'I have a clear view on when we should achieve that. 'I keep that to myself, because we are having these consultations now with allies, and these discussions are ongoing. 'We will in the end agree on a date when we have to be there.'
IOL News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
The dogs of war: how Ukraine's pets became symbols of resilience
Kulivets with Zhuzha in his apartment in Kyiv. Image: Serhiy Morgunov/The Washington Post Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv's top diplomat made a very personal and little-known policy decision: He encouraged Ukraine's Foreign Ministry staff to bring their dogs to work. Dmytro Kuleba's rule meant employees didn't have to leave their terrified dogs at home during missile and drone attacks. And it meant Kuleba's new rescue, a gray French bulldog named Marik, scooped from the wreckage of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, would spend the next couple of years overhearing foreign policy discussions as he waddled around the office. Former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba plays with his rescue dogs, Marik, 3, and Puzan, 3, at his home in Kyiv. Image: Serhiy Morgunov/The Washington Post Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Such an arrangement might seem unusual for a foreign minister - but not in wartime Ukraine. Russia's invasion has made the security of pets a national priority. Families in front-line towns often flee Russian shelling with multiple pets in tow, and soldiers feed and care for those left behind. Volunteers then risk their lives to evacuate them to safer cities, where they are often adopted into Ukrainian families or sent abroad. The lengths Ukrainian troops and volunteers have gone to rescue vulnerable dogs has spurred a massive cultural shift, transforming Ukraine - once criticized for its treatment of animals - into an extraordinarily dog-friendly country. Gone are stuffy old rules banning pets from many places. Kuleba resigned in 2024, but the Foreign Ministry confirmed that his dog policy remains in place. Zhuzha, who is around 6 years old, was adopted by Mykola Kulivets while he served in the Ukrainian military. After surviving several front-line postings together, the pair demobilized and moved to Kyiv. Kulivets brought Zhuzha on a first date with Maria Smirnova, who fell in love with both of them. The couple now live together with Zhuzha Image: Serhiy Morgunov/ The Washington Post Dogs are also now welcome inside most restaurants, cafes, beauty salons, grocery stores and hotels in major Ukrainian cities. They're often greeted with water bowls and treats or, in some cases, their own menus. And, like Marik the French bulldog, and Kuleba's later rescue, Puzan, who is from the eastern town of Lyman, many of these dogs were rescued from the front lines. In Kyiv's sprawling parks, families now trade notes about their four-legged mutts' hometowns, describing dramatic escapes from war. Ukrainians' commitment to saving front-line animals 'literally changed how we as a nation are perceived abroad,' Kuleba said. A pack of abandoned dogs roamed the nearly empty village close to the eastern front where Ukrainian soldier Mykola Kulivets was stationed in 2022 - but the smallest, with her long black fur and pointy ears, stood out from the rest. One April morning, she appeared all alone at the door of Kulivets's makeshift base. He fed her a sausage and she never left. He cleaned her dirty, matted fur, named her Zhuzha, let her move inside - and two months later woke up to her giving birth under his cot. The timing could not have been worse: Kulivets's battalion was about to relocate to a village near the front-line city of Avdiivka, and he now had six dogs - including five puppies - in his care. His commander, a dog lover himself, told Kulivets to bring them along. For the rest of the summer, as fierce battles took place mere miles away, the dogs distracted Kulivets and his fellow troops from the horrors of war. 'To have some little one to take care of - I think it's a basic need for every human being,' he said. From afar, Kulivets's mother helped find homes around Ukraine for the four male puppies. His grandparents agreed to adopt the only girl, whom they named Asya. In late August, when the puppies were two months old, Kulivets drove to Dnipro to pass them off to his mom - his first time seeing her since he had deployed. He returned to war the same day with only Zhuzha left. Back east, Kulivets moved with Zhuzha to the city of Bakhmut, which Russia later destroyed and seized. Under intense shelling, he would hurry her outside for bathroom breaks. His team became so attached that they named their command centre after her, and her name appeared in official military orders. Kulivets and Zhuzha eventually demobilized, and both have settled into civilian life in Kyiv. 'When my commander calls me, his first question is not about me - it's about Zhuzha,' Kulivets said. 'Not normal anymore to buy dogs' Early in the war, Hanna Rudyk, deputy director of Kyiv's Khanenko Museum, left home with her young daughter, Silviia. They moved to Germany, and her husband, Artem, unable to travel due to martial law banning men from leaving the country, stayed behind. Rudyk knew they would eventually return to Kyiv but feared air raid sirens and explosions would traumatize Silviia, who is now 10. Maybe, she thought, a dog would help. But it had to be a rescue - during wartime, she said, 'it's not normal anymore to buy dogs.' Then she saw a Facebook post from a volunteer. Troops fighting in the eastern city of Toretsk, since destroyed by Russian artillery, had been caring for a dog who gave birth at their position. The surviving puppies had been evacuated - and one still needed a home. The remaining dog was a white female with brown spots and big pointy ears like a cartoon character. They named her Latka, Ukrainian for 'patch.'
Washington Post
28-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Rescuing Ukraine's lost war dogs
Adopting dogs abandoned on the battlefields has become a national duty in Ukraine KYIV — Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv's top diplomat made a very personal and little-known policy decision: He encouraged Ukraine's Foreign Ministry staff to bring their dogs to work. Dmytro Kuleba's rule meant employees didn't have to leave their terrified dogs at home during missile and drone attacks. And it meant Kuleba's new rescue, a gray French bulldog named Marik, scooped from the wreckage of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, would spend the next couple of years overhearing foreign policy discussions as he waddled around the office. Such an arrangement might seem unusual for a foreign minister — but not in wartime Ukraine. Former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba plays with his rescue dogs, Marik, 3, and Puzan, 3, at his home in Kyiv. Russia's invasion has made the security of pets a national priority. Families in front-line towns often flee Russian shelling with multiple pets in tow, and soldiers feed and care for those left behind. Volunteers then risk their lives to evacuate them to safer cities, where they are often adopted into Ukrainian families or sent abroad. The lengths Ukrainian troops and volunteers have gone to rescue vulnerable dogs has spurred a massive cultural shift, transforming Ukraine — once criticized for its treatment of animals — into an extraordinarily dog-friendly country. Gone are stuffy old rules banning pets from many places. Kuleba resigned in 2024, but the Foreign Ministry confirmed that his dog policy remains in place. Dogs are also now welcome inside most restaurants, cafes, beauty salons, grocery stores and hotels in major Ukrainian cities. They're often greeted with water bowls and treats or, in some cases, their own menus. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement And, like Marik the French bulldog, and Kuleba's later rescue, Puzan, who is from the eastern town of Lyman, many of these dogs were rescued from the front lines. In Kyiv's sprawling parks, families now trade notes about their four-legged mutts' hometowns, describing dramatic escapes from war. Ukrainians' commitment to saving front-line animals 'literally changed how we as a nation are perceived abroad,' Kuleba said. Here are some stories of the dogs of war. 'A basic need' Zhuzha Zhuzha, who is around 6 years old, was adopted by Mykola Kulivets while he served in the Ukrainian military. After surviving several front-line postings together, the pair demobilized and moved to Kyiv. Kulivets brought Zhuzha on a first date with Maria Smirnova, who fell in love with both of them. The couple now live together with Zhuzha. A pack of abandoned dogs roamed the nearly empty village close to the eastern front where Ukrainian soldier Mykola Kulivets was stationed in 2022 — but the smallest, with her long black fur and pointy ears, stood out from the rest. One April morning, she appeared all alone at the door of Kulivets's makeshift base. He fed her a sausage and she never left. He cleaned her dirty, matted fur, named her Zhuzha, let her move inside — and two months later woke up to her giving birth under his cot. The timing could not have been worse: Kulivets's battalion was about to relocate to a village near the front-line city of Avdiivka, and he now had six dogs — including five puppies — in his care. His commander, a dog lover himself, told Kulivets to bring them along. Zhuzha Kulivets with Zhuzha in his apartment in Kyiv. Archie Nadiia Tkachenko with Archie, 2, in a village outside Kyiv. Archie Archie is the son of Zhuzha, who gave birth to five puppies at a Ukrainian base near the front line. For the rest of the summer, as fierce battles took place mere miles away, the dogs distracted Kulivets and his fellow troops from the horrors of war. 'To have some little one to take care of — I think it's a basic need for every human being,' he said. From afar, Kulivets's mother helped find homes around Ukraine for the four male puppies. His grandparents agreed to adopt the only girl, whom they named Asya. In late August, when the puppies were 2 months old, Kulivets drove to Dnipro to pass them off to his mom — his first time seeing her since he had deployed. He returned to war the same day with only Zhuzha left. Back east, Kulivets moved with Zhuzha to the city of Bakhmut, which Russia later destroyed and seized. Under intense shelling, he would hurry her outside for bathroom breaks. His team grew so attached that it named the command center Zhuzha, and her name appeared in official military orders. Avdyusha Elina Sutyagina with Avdyusha, 2, at her home in a village outside Kyiv. Avdyusha is another son of Zhuzha. Avdyusha Sutyagina said Avdyusha acts as the 'eyes and ears' of her husband, who had a stroke and is disabled. Like the soldier who rescued Avdyusha's mother, their son is serving in the military. 'I believe in God and I believe it was destiny,' she added. 'What God gives, you should accept.' Kulivets and Zhuzha eventually demobilized, and both have settled into civilian life in Kyiv. 'When my commander calls me, his first question is not about me — it's about Zhuzha,' Kulivets said. In villages outside Kyiv, Elina Sutyagina, 63, and Nadiia Tkachenko, 64, friends who ran small kiosks in the same market, heard through volunteers about Zhuzha's front-line puppies who needed homes. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Sutyagina adopted one and named him Avdyusha, after Avdiivka, the city Kulivets's battalion defended. The dog now assists Sutyagina's husband, who had a stroke, acting 'as his eyes and ears,' she said. Tkachenko took another and named him Archie. 'To me it was important to help an animal from the front line,' she said. 'If you see these videos of soldiers with animals, you can't help but just cry.' 'It's not normal anymore to buy dogs' Latka Latka, 1, at the Khanenko Museum, where her owner works. Hanna Rudyk and her daughter moved to Germany after Russia's full-scale invasion. When they decided to return home to Kyiv last year, they adopted Latka, who was born in the eastern city of Toretsk and rescued by soldiers. Early in the war, Hanna Rudyk, deputy director of Kyiv's Khanenko Museum, left home with her young daughter, Silviia. They moved to Germany, and her husband, Artem, unable to travel due to martial law banning men from leaving the country, stayed behind. Rudyk knew they would eventually return to Kyiv but feared air raid sirens and explosions would traumatize Silviia, who is now 10. Maybe, she thought, a dog would help. But it had to be a rescue — during wartime, she said, 'it's not normal anymore to buy dogs.' Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Then she saw a Facebook post from a volunteer. Troops fighting in the eastern city of Toretsk, since destroyed by Russian artillery, had been caring for a dog who gave birth at their position. The surviving puppies had been evacuated — and one still needed a home. The remaining dog was a white female with brown spots and big pointy ears like a cartoon character. They named her Latka, Ukrainian for 'patch.' Her goofy personality has helped Silviia adjust to life in wartime. When Russian attacks on the capital send them running for cover at night, Silviia and Latka curl up in the hallway and go back to sleep together. Across town, a puppy from a different Toretsk litter was also settling into his new life. Latka Rudyk and her daughter, Silviia, 10, with Latka. The family adopted Latka in part to comfort Silviia during air raid alerts. Donatello and Leonardo Serhii Piatkov with Donatello and Leonardo at his home in Kyiv. Donatello Donatello was born in the front-line city of Toretsk and evacuated by volunteers when he was several months old. Serhii Piatkov, 35, already had one dog — Leonardo, a Russian toy terrier named for the Ninja Turtle — when he started donating about $25 a month to an animal shelter in Kyiv. In July 2024, the shelter held an adoption drive. Piatkov, who runs an advertising firm, stopped by and locked eyes with a black and white border collie mix with freckled legs. Rescued at just a few months old from Toretsk, he was now surrounded by dogs with severe disabilities. The dog looked like he didn't belong, Piatkov thought. A few days later, he took him home. Keeping with the Ninja Turtles theme, he named him Donatello — Doni for short. 'He's my small bear,' he said. 'Dogs are friends and partners' Lisa Lisa, 3, at her owner's studio in Kyiv. Born in the eastern city of Lysychansk, she was rescued as a puppy and relocated to a shelter in Kyiv, where artist Olesya Drashkaba adopted her. Three-year-old Lisa doesn't mind when air raid sirens blare in Kyiv, because that means her owner, Olesya Drashkaba, comes to hide by Lisa's bed in the hallway. Lisa is named for the eastern Ukrainian city where she was born, Lysychansk — which Russian forces seized in 2022. Drashkaba, an artist, was abroad early in the war, but when she moved back to Kyiv and opened her empty apartment, she immediately knew she was going to need a dog. Friends shared photos of Lisa, who had recently been rescued from the east, and Drashkaba fell in love with the funny strawberry-blond mutt. Lisa adapted quickly to her life bouncing between Drashkaba's studio, exhibitions and trendy cafes in central Kyiv. She catches the attention of so many passersby that Drashkaba met her now-partner when he stopped to say hello to Lisa. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 'I think it's very good that people finally understand that dogs are friends and partners and even maybe more,' she said. Olha Kotlyarska, 29, likes to point out that because of the war, she and her dog, Khvoya, are both on antidepressants. Kotlyarska is a lawyer assisting investigations into alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Khvoya is a shepherd mix who was born in Avdiivka and cared for by Ukrainian troops until volunteers moved her and her siblings to safety in January 2024. Russia seized control of Avdiivka shortly after. Lisa Drashkaba in her studio with Lisa. 'She was very, very, very fragile, and very polite, and good from the beginning,' Drashkaba said. 'Lisa fixed a lot of my troubles, to be honest, and a lot of my problems. If you need a really good friend, a really good life and something new — like a new beginning — save some dogs, and you will be happy.' Khvoya Olha Kotlyarska, a lawyer at an international organization investigating crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine, lives on the 17th floor of an apartment building in Kyiv with Khvoya. Khvoya Khvoya, 1, takes antidepressants to cope with trauma from the war. Khvoya's adjustment to a more peaceful life in Kyiv has not always been easy. 'In the beginning she was scared of everything and everyone on the street,' Kotlyarska said. With training, medication and love, she's making slow progress. 'It still takes a lot for her to not be in panic mode, and it's still something that we are working on,' Kotlyarska said. 'The saddest dog ever' Marko Marko, 8, at home in Kyiv. Russian forces had advanced in the Zaporizhzhia region and were heavily shelling the town of Orikhiv in late 2023 when Ukrainian volunteers drove in, searching for a dog they had been asked to find and rescue. Then a different scruffy black dog ran in front of their car. The volunteers could see he was unwell, with overgrown hair, wounds and a collar digging into his neck. He went running. They chased him into a basement, where they found Ukrainian troops sheltering from Russian attacks. The soldiers helped usher the dog into a crate, and between artillery rounds the volunteers fled with him. Back in Kyiv, Kateryna Lytvynenko, 37, saw a shelter post photos of 'the saddest dog ever.' The human rights adviser at Save the Children had fostered several dogs already, including one her dad adopted. She wanted her own and hoped to find one from her home region of Zaporizhzhia. Marko Kateryna Lytvynenko with Marko. Lytvynenko, who is originally from the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, spends much of her time raising money for animals abandoned during the war. Marko, who is from Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region, is one of them. Kari Dmytro Kustov with Kari. Kustov is a stretching instructor who brings Kari with him to classes, where she mingles with his students. When she met him, she wept. Here was this abandoned dog, from the front line near where she grew up, hair shaved and with sad brown eyes begging her for a home. She took him home the next day and named him Marko. One week after Marko's adoption, a tiny brown dog was born in the same town on Christmas. Volunteers evacuated the puppy to Kyiv, where so many applications flooded in to take her that 'it was like trying to rent an apartment in a prime location in the center of Kyiv,' recalled Dmytro Kustov, 29, a stretching coach who eventually won out. Born in a desolate place, Kari, whom Kustov calls his 'clever, sneaky little fox,' now attends all his stretching classes and has a wardrobe of miniature winter clothes and boots. 'It's our dog' Golda Golda, 4, was adopted by Dmytro Slivnyi and his wife, Oleksandra Berezovska, after she was abandoned in a suburb of Kyiv during the first weeks of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Days after Russian troops retreated from their bloody assault on the Kyiv region in 2022, Dmytro Slivnyi, 41, was rushing supplies to the besieged areas when he came across a big, lonely dog by the road. When it was time to return home, he called his wife, Oleksandra Berezovska, and told her, 'I'm coming back — but not alone.' The couple, who already had two dogs, washed her, named her Golda and fostered her until a friend adopted her. 'When they left, I said to my husband, 'It's a mistake — it's our dog,'' Oleksandra recalled. Golda Berezovska gives a treat to Golda. The dog, who survived weeks of fighting and Russian occupation, now lives in a high-rise apartment in Kyiv. Javelina Photojournalist Anastasia Vlasova with Javelina at a cafe in Kyiv. Vlasova found the dog near a burned-out tank in a suburb after Russian forces retreated from the region in 2022. Javelina Vlasova adopted Javelina and named her for the Javelin, the U.S.-made shoulder-mounted anti-tank system that helped Ukrainian forces repel Russian attempts to take control of Kyiv in 2022. When their friend deployed to the front line, Golda ended up back with Dmytro and Oleksandra, and eventually they decided she would stay for good. Around the same time, Ukrainian photojournalist Anastasia Vlasova was documenting the aftermath of Russia's atrocities near Kyiv when her colleague saw a little face poke out from behind a burned-out tank. 'It was definitely the worst time imaginable to get an animal,' admitted Vlasova, 32. Her schedule was packed with assignments. She brought her home that day and named her Javelina, after the U.S. shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapons that helped Ukraine defend Kyiv in 2022. Sometimes, Javelina's traumatic past comes out when she panics from loud noises, like explosions or thunder, that send her into hiding. Vlasova said her strategy is: 'Okay, I'm going to cuddle her.' 'Our moral values' Leo Leo, 2, was abandoned and left chained by his owners during the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region of Russia. He was rescued by Roman, a Ukrainian combat medic. For three years, combat medic Roman, 33, had seen all kinds of pets — dogs, cats, horses, cows, even ostriches and a turtle — abandoned across the front line. One dog his unit took care of for six months died when she stepped on a grenade. So when he was deployed to Russia's Kursk region last August and found a fluffy tricolor dog cowering in an abandoned garden, Roman, who can only be identified by his first name because he remains on active duty, feared going through the pain of losing a war dog again. But when he sent photos to his partner, Nadiia, she said his only home would be with them. Roman with his partner, Nadiia, and Leo at their apartment in Rivne, in northwestern Ukraine. Roman's deputy company commander, who had already adopted two cats, approved the dog's staying with Roman's unit until he could evacuate him to Nadiia. The troops initially named the dog Sudzhyk, for Sudzha, the Russian town Ukraine had seized during the operation. But when the dog moved in with Nadiia farther from the front, she renamed him Leo. Roman is proud to see how Ukrainian soldiers treat the animals they come across, unchaining them, giving them food and shelter. 'The way we treat animals is a marker of societal development, a reflection of our moral values,' he said.
