Ukrainians on the run were saved by a kitten in the Romanian mountains

“The kitten was warm and warmed him, and thus saved his life,” Dan Benga, director of the mountain rescue service in the Maramures Mountains, which is located in the north of Romania on the border with Ukraine, told the AP agency.

More than ten rescuers had to work with all their might in a harsh blizzard to save 28-year-old Vladislav Duda, who was found soaked, frozen and severely hypothermic in a 400-meter-deep ravine. Duda fled Ukraine to avoid being drafted into the Ukrainian army, which defends the country against Russian aggression at the cost of significant losses. When the rescue team found him, they unzipped his jacket and discovered the kitten curled up inside.

“We saw that the only thing he cared about was his kitten. He didn’t take care of himself at all,” said Benga, who allegedly asked Duda if he was okay. And he replied: “I am happy because my cat is alive. God gave me a chance for a new life. It’s the happiest moment because the kitten is here with me.”

The cat was feeling the effects of malnutrition after the refugees ran out of food four days ago and only melted snow helped keep them alive.

A helicopter was supposed to transport the refugee to safety, but the rescuers had to interrupt the air operation due to bad weather. On an exhausting mission, they set off on foot through deep snow at temperatures dropping to ten degrees below zero. During the difficult ascent from the ravine, which lasted more than five hours, the Ukrainian did not let go of his kitten.

“He held him until we put him in the ambulance. Then he just said: Please take care of the cat,” said Benga.

Duda almost froze. He is receiving anti-inflammatory drugs and undergoing blood circulation treatment, said Izabella Kiskaszaová, who heads the center for Ukrainian refugees in Maramures. In the meantime, Persyk was treated at a veterinary clinic in Baia Mare, where they expect him to fully recover.

Duda went on the run with his feline companion from the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine more than a week ago, before getting stuck in the Carpathian arc, which stretches across northern Romania and southwestern Ukraine.

“I remember the fear of the unknown and the fear of not surviving the night, but my Persyk kept me alive,” Duda recalled. “When we fled, we were afraid of everyone, lest they send us back to fight in a war that is not ours,” he added.

While Persyk is the first cat rescued in the local mountains, Duda is just one of many Ukrainian men who risked their lives in the harsh mountains to escape being drafted into the war with Russia. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 160 Ukrainians have been rescued in the Maramures county, and since the outbreak of the war, their number has doubled every year, Benga said. However, another 16 Ukrainians died there.

Ukraine has taken steps to expand the number of men eligible for military service. In April, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a law that lowered the age for military service from 27 to 25. At the same time, the United States is urging Kiev to call up more men, starting at the age of 18.