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Those Who Save Lives

The Animal Protection Award, established by UAnimals and the Humane Country inter-factional
association was created out of the need to support incredibly compassionate and hardworking people during extraordinarily challenging times.

We strive to ensure that those who dedicate their time, love, and health, and even risk their lives to help animals and the environment receive greater attention and recognition. That is why this award is an opportunity to highlight their work, give it a louder voice, and encourage society to support animal rights volunteers with kind words and actions.

In 2025, the Animal Protection Award will be held for the third time; this year’s general partner of the event is the Angelina Usanova Foundation. We usually award between 10 and 20 individuals who regularly and systematically help animals and the environment in Ukraine, and we may also include special awards, e.g. posthumous.

The call for applications for the Animal Protection Award 2026 will be announced separately. Below you can read about the winners of the previous years.

Participation criteria

Only those who meet the following criteria can be shortlisted:

  • Regularly help any species of animals or the environment, specifically in Ukraine;
  • Support animals and the environment either professionally or as volunteers;
  • Do not exploit animals in any way;
  • Do not collaborate with russia;
  • Have not received the award in previous years.

Additionally, when forming the shortlist, a detailed and comprehensive justification of why a particular person deserves the award, as well as the number of nominations for the individual from others, will play a significant role — the more nominations, the higher the chances of making the shortlist. This list will then be evaluated by a jury, whose composition will be announced soon.

Jury Members

Jojo Mehta

Co-founder of Stop Ecocide International

Mark Randell

International researcher of crimes against animals, former Senior Detective in the UK police

Inha Sakada

Head of the rescue department at UAnimals

Olha Chevhaniuk

Head of the strategic initiatives department at UAnimals

Yuliia Ovchynnikova

Member of Parliament and co-chair of Humane State inter-factional union

Masi Nayyem

Serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, lawyer, and human rights defender

Angelina Usanova

UN and IIMSAM Goodwill Ambassador, Miss Eco International 2024, founder of the Angelina Usanova Foundation

Andrea Cisternino

Owner and director of Rifugio Italia KJ2 shelter, winner of the Ukrainian Animal Protection Award 2023

Oleksandr Syplenko

Head of Sumske Tovarystvo Zakhystu Tvaryn, lawyer, winner of the Ukrainian Animal Protection Award 2023

Jürgen Plinz

Treasurer of the German Animal Welfare Federation and board member of the Eurogroup for Animals

Beatrice Rezzaghi

Disaster manager and head of the LAV Emergency Unit

Results

    Results of the 2024 Animal Protection Award

    In 2024, the award was given to:
    ⭐️Victoriia Kruchina (Kupiansk, Kharkiv region)
    ⭐️ Olena Kotova (Oleksandriia, Kirovohrad region)
    ⭐️ Olesia Leonova (Dnipro)
    ⭐️ Ilona Dzhalahaniya (Sumy)
    ⭐️ Mariia Vronska (Hostomel, Kyiv region)
    ⭐️ Alisiia Polykha (Kyiv)
    ⭐️ Viktor Shelvinskyi (Kozhychi, Lviv region)
    ⭐️ Maryna Shazhko (Bakhmut, Donetsk region — Vilne, Dnipropetrovsk region)
    ⭐️ Roman Ostapchuk (Donetsk region)
    ⭐️ Tetiana Kutsukon (Boryspil, Kyiv region)
    ⭐️ Mykhailo Rusin (Kyiv)
    ⭐️ Free Svydovets Initiative Group
    ⭐️ Emma Igual and Anthony Ignat (Spain and Canada)
    ⭐️ Arman Soldin (France)

    Jury of the 2024 Award:

    • Dmytro Revniuk — Founder of the Zoopatrul Ukraine NGO
    • Tamara Human — Head of the Every Animal NGO
    • Ines Kostić — Member of the Dutch Parliament, political scientist, and politician of the Party for the Animals, the Netherlands
    • Maryna Surkova — President of the Association of Animal Protection Organizations of Ukraine (AZOU)
    • Rebecka Le Moine — Swedish politician, animal rights activist, member of the Swedish Parliament
    • Meredith Whitney — Board of Directors, International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, USA
    • Margaux Dodds — Co-Founder of Marine Connection and Chair of Dolphinaria-Free Europe, Great Britain
    • Reineke Hameleers — CEO of Eurogroup for Animals
    • Kelly Donithan — Director of Global Animal Disaster Response at HSI (Humane Society International), USA
    • Oleksandr Todorchuk — Founder of the UAnimals movement, initiator of the Humane Country IFA, and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman
    • Yulia Ovchynnykova, Member of Parliament and co-chair of the Humane Country inter-factional association

    Read more in the news:

    UAnimals announces the winners of the Animal Protection Award 2024

    For free wings and curious noses: meet the laureates of the 2024 Animal Protection Award

    Results of the 2023 Animal Protection Award

    In 2023, the award was given to:
    ⭐️Asya Serpinska (Hostomel, Kyiv region)
    ⭐️Nataliia Popova (Chubynske, Kyiv region)
    ⭐️Diana Nasibova (Nizhyn, Chernihiv region)
    ⭐️Tetiana Didenko (Chernihiv)
    ⭐️Olesia Kulyk (Zaporizhzhia)
    ⭐️Maryna Surkova (Kharkiv)
    ⭐️Mykhailo Storozhuk (Kyiv — Bakhmut)
    ⭐️Iryna and Oleh Tiutuni (Kherson)
    ⭐️Anastasiia Tykha (Irpin, Kyiv region)
    ⭐️Eleonora Krutova (Avdiivka, Donetsk region)
    ⭐️Andrea Cisternino (Italy — Ukraine, Kyiv region)
    ⭐️Oleksandr Syplenko (Sumy)
    ⭐️Serhii Hryhoriev (Mezhyhirya, Kyiv region)
    ⭐️Olena Pylova (Zaporizhzhia)
    ⭐️Petya Petrova (Bulgaria)
    ⭐️Svitlana Ostapkova (Myrnohrad, Donetsk region)
    ⭐️Oleksandra Levytska (Dnipropetrovsk — Mykolaiv — Kherson regions)
    ⭐️Oleksii “Lev” Kisilyshyn (Mariupol)

    Two more awardees were located in active combat zones and temporarily occupied territories. For security reasons, we did not reveal their names, but we will certainly share their stories after victory.

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