This Ukrainian man is holding firm in the face of the Russian invasion, while thousands of other Ukrainians are fleeing their homes in order to save their lives. He is taking the polar opposite approach in order to preserve the roughly 400 animals in his care facility.

Andrea Cisternino, a true hero of rescued animals in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the individual in question. Cisternino is a photojournalist from Italy who has lived in Ukraine for the past 13 years. He met and married a stunning Ukrainian woman while he was in this country. The couple made the decision to create an animal sanctuary and began rescuing stray animals from all over the countryside. Many people were dissatisfied with the rescue’s operations during its early days. People were even being rewarded for killing stray dogs by the government. Cisternino and his wife were doing their jobs out of a sense of compassion, no matter what anyone else thought.

Cisternino is a visionary leader. After the conflict in Donbas erupted several years ago, he was apprehensive about the possibility of war and stored supplies as a precaution. He had no idea what was about to happen. His preparations were simply an extra supply for the animals’ protection.

When the event he had been most concerned about occurred, he was taken by surprise. Nonetheless, he and his wife elected to remain with all of their animals. His neighborhood has been filled with gunshots from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day since the invasion began. But that couldn’t keep him from rescuing and defending animals.

“I’m willing to die here for my animals.” I have to worry about rescuing a refuge and its 400 guests, who need to be safeguarded at all costs.” Cisternino made the statement.

He has received a great deal of attention due to his generous deed, which has spread throughout the world. He now has over 78k followers on Facebook, which is a significant increase. He updates his fans on a regular basis with images of himself and his animals, letting them know he is still alive.