UAnimals honored animal rights defenders who consistently and regularly help animals in Ukraine. The Uktainian Animal Protection Award is an opportunity to recognize and highlight the work of people who dedicate their time, love, and even risk their lives to help animals and protect the environment.
“This award is not an attempt to choose the best. Let’s consider that when 10 finalists take the stage, we are thanking thousands of people through them. It’s an attempt to say ‘thank you’ and offer at least a bit of inspiration. What you are doing is valuable,” said UAnimals founder Oleksandr Todorchuk at the awards ceremony.
This year’s award winners are:
- Alina Ostapenko — an animal volunteer, a member of Sumy Animal Home, Sumy.
- Anastasiia Klimniuk — an animal volunteer, the founder and the head of the NGO Animal House Rescue, Kharkiv, Poltava region.
- Olena Rusina — an animal volunteer, the founder and the head of the Society for Help Horses Pegasus, Dnipropetrovsk region.
- Olha Volkova — the head of NGO Souls of a Tramps, Mykolaiv region.
- Serhii Ludenskyi — an animal volunteer, the founder and the head of the NGO Save Animals Ukraine, Dnipro.
- Olena Voshun — an animal volunteer, the founder and the head of the charity foundation Chance of Life, Dnipropetrovsk region.
- Aliona Hrinnyk — the founder of the NGO Give a Paw YU, Mykolaiv region.
- Tetiana Nelha — an animal volunteer, the founder of the charity fund Zoofamily, Kirovohrad region.
- Viktoriia Zhydkova — an animal volunteer, the founder of Virnist animal protection society and of the NGO Human Rights Initiative, Donetsk region.
- Inna Borodulia — an animal volunteer, the founder and the head of the CSO Happy Cat, Zaporizhzhia.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, animal rescue volunteers have faced many new challenges: evacuating animals from dangerous areas, taking them in, and caring for them.
“Right now, the Sumy region is suffering more than before. We are focusing all our efforts on the border areas and continuing to evacuate animals. Only together can we save more animals,” said Alina Ostapenko, a laureate from the Sumy Society for Animal Protection.
In addition to the awards for the winners selected by the jury, the UAnimals team also presented special honors during the ceremony.
A special award for protecting every life was given to Oleksandr Romashko, a soldier who cares for animals in the combat zones and arranges their evacuation. He often funds their treatment himself and personally finds homes for them.
The special award for wildlife protection was presented to Supii Lake Save and Explore Center. Yevhenii Dovhaliuk, who established the center, monitors the biodiversity of flora and fauna to create a nature conservation area of international significance at the lake.
Posthumous awards were given to volunteers Rymma Baranenko and Kostiantyn Yuzviuk.
Rymma Baranenko cared for stray animals in Kherson. She was killed on December 1, 2024, when a drone dropped an explosive device on a public bus.
Kostiantyn Yuzviuk, call sign “Istanbul,” fought with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia area. Before joining the military, Kostiantyn helped evacuate animals from frontline areas, sometimes with the UAnimals team. He also helped find homes for the animals. He was killed on July 18, 2024, at the age of 23.
“Everything he did, he did for ten people. He stood up for ten, fought for ten, and rescued animals for ten. Kostya said that we have to work for eleven when he can no longer do it,” said Kostiantyn’s mother, Olga Yuzviuk.
In 2025, the Ukrainian Animal Protection Awaed was held for the third time. This year, the event’s general partner was the Angelina Usanova Foundation. Miss Eco International 2024, Angelina Usanova, was part of the jury reviewing the applications for the award.
“I was once again convinced that Ukraine has an incredible number of people who are truly dedicated to protecting animals and the environment. Every story was about the strength of the heart, compassion, and determination to act even under the most difficult circumstances,” said Angelina.
The event was also supported by UAnimals’ partners:
- Josera Ukraine
- Suziria Group
- Savory
UAnimals emphasizes that the goal of the award is not to identify the best among humane people but to draw as much attention as possible to animal protection in general and to honor the work of all animal defenders in Ukraine.
