Animal lovers are being urged to donate a festive hamper of vital supplies.
UK animal lovers are being urged to donate to leading Ukraine charity U-Heart's Christmas hamper appeal.
The call forms part of the organisation's new campaign, Operation Paw-pose, which aims to provide vital support to the thousands of stray and homeless pets suffering from the ongoing Russian invasion.
Fronted by TV dog groomer Verity Hardcastle, UK citizens can help the mission by buying one of three festive hampers from Epicentr LLC, a leading Ukrainian home retailer.
The hampers include essential food, medicines and accessories for cats, small and medium-sized dogs and large dogs, similar to a Christmas shoebox. The campaign will run until January 2023, with the purchased boxes distributed to animals and shelters across Ukraine.
Among the animals set to benefit from the support are dogs Max, Lucy, Misha and Magnatyk. Rescued before the Russian invasion, the dogs live close to the conflict in Sumy, and are at constant risk of shelling and rocket fire, making it difficult for their owners to source food.
The U-Hearts Foundation has so far donated 20kg of food to the family, but the charity says this won't be enough – and that many animals are living in similarly dangerous situations.
Yuriy Tokarski, chief executive officer of the U-Hearts Foundation, said: “Hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are living on war-torn streets without their families. It is devastating to witness. Every animal deserves to feel the magic of Christmas, which is why we’re hoping Operation Paw-pose will go a long way in providing the animals of Ukraine the necessities they need for basic survival.
“So far, we’ve fed over 37,000 cats and 67,000 dogs and delivered approximately 1,000 vaccines across Kharkiv, Gostomel, Chornobyl and Poltava. Our aim is to increase this over the winter period.”
Verity Hardcastle added: “As a devoted dog groomer, I am committed to animal welfare and the impact the war in Ukraine has had and continues to have on innocent pets’ lives is heartbreaking. I hope the UK pet-loving population will get behind us and help make more tails wag and eyes light up this Christmas.”
Hampers can be purchased from epicentrk.ua or to support the charity via monetary donations, visit u-heartsfoundation/supportourwork
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
