Nowzad's Unbreakable film highlights animals left behind in Ukraine war

It is four and a half years since the first images of people fleeing Ukraine after the Russian invasion, but a new film from the animal charity Nowzad, titled Unbreakable, focuses on the animals left behind. The film was presented by actor and activist Peter Egan, who funded the project, and was discussed by Nowzad founder Pen Farthing.

Nowzad says it is one of the animal organisations still operating in Ukraine. The film shows animals that were left behind when their owners evacuated. At the time, people fleeing Ukraine were not allowed to take pets with them. One scene features a small dog whose back legs were paralysed after being shot by Russian forces. The dog was rescued and is said to be living well. A Ukrainian woman in the film describes staying behind with 50 animals and her young son. She says friends told her she was crazy to stay, but she did not want to leave the animals.

Peter Egan, an ambassador and patron for Nowzad, travelled to Ukraine a few months ago with Andrew Telling of Orange Planet Pictures. He said it was the most incredible experience of his life. He described visiting a cemetery outside Lviv where thousands of gravestones, many with photographs of young men younger than his grandson, showed the scale of loss. He said every small village and town on the road towards Kyiv has its own cemetery for the fallen. Seeing that, and then seeing the animals left behind, was deeply upsetting, he added.

Farthing said many Ukrainians care for dogs and cats as family members. When war forces them to evacuate, housing in western Ukraine may be available but pets are often not allowed. Nowzad helps by caring for animals that cannot travel with their owners. The film also addresses questions raised after Nowzad's earlier evacuation work in Afghanistan about whether it prioritised pets over people. Farthing said the charity began as an animal welfare organisation but has found that helping animals can also help people. In Ukraine, he said, a rabies outbreak has followed the suspension of rabies prevention programmes because resources are being directed to the war. Nowzad is now helping to vaccinate animals to stop the spread of rabies, which he described as a win-win for animals and people.

Egan said he hoped the film would show the resilience and commitment of Ukrainian people. He praised their devotion to both their fellow citizens and their animals. Farthing said public support for Ukraine has waned as attention has moved elsewhere, but the charity remains in the country and still needs help. The film has special viewings at Clapham Picturehouse on the 9th and Exeter Picturehouse on the 10th. The makers hope a streaming platform will pick it up for a wider audience.