Brave Italian Man Who Runs Shelter In Kyiv Defies Bombs And Insists He Would Rather Die Than Abandon His Animals

This brave Italian man who runs an animal shelter in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has defied the bombings saying he will not abandon his animals and “would rather die than leave them behind”.

Andrea Cisternino, originally from the Italian capital Rome, lives in the Ukrainian city of Kyiv, where he runs an animal sanctuary with over 400 animals.

But despite the Russian invasion, Andrea informed his 68,000 followers on social media that he was not planning to leave his home and leave the animals to fend for themselves.

Andrea Cisternino, the owner of an animal shelter who said he would rather die than leave his rescued animals in February 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (@andrea.cisternino.37/Newsflash)

He said in a post shared on Facebook on 24th February: “I decided that I am ready to die here together with my animals.

“Now I have to think about saving one shelter and its 400 guests who deserve to be protected at all costs.”

Andrea’s followers name him ‘a hero’ and the post attracted numerous positive and supportive comments, such as Facebook user ‘Elisabeth Solazzi’, who wrote: “Your courage is truly admirable! And those 400 souls are lucky!”

Andrea Cisternino, the owner of an animal shelter who said he would rather die than leave his rescued animals in February 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (@andrea.cisternino.37/Newsflash)

While ‘Claudia Donatelli’ commented: “Andrea you’re in my heart and all the innocent souls.”

And ‘Sonia Sarli’ said: “We are praying for you and your pets Andrea, and we are all with you.”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began last week has attracted widespread condemnation around the world, with many, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and chess legend Garry Kasparov calling Putin a “dictator”.

Andrea Cisternino, the owner of an animal shelter who said he would rather die than leave his rescued animals in February 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (@andrea.cisternino.37/Newsflash)

On Sunday evening, Ukrainian government filed a complaint against the Russian Federation with the International Court of Justice over the invasion.