Photos: PETA Unveils Memorial for Ukrainian Military Medic Killed Saving Dogs and Humans
For Immediate Release:
July 17, 2025
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
This afternoon, PETA held a memorial service and dedicated a white rose bush and memorial plaque in its Bea Arthur Dog Park on Front Street in honor of Dr. Olena “Leleka” Yeryomenko, a Ukrainian combat medic and war hero who was killed on June 29 while going to the aid of a wounded soldier, shortly after helping evacuate 42 dogs under intense Russian shelling. Photos from the dedication are available here. A video about Leleka and showing her work rescuing animals is here.
Between her own combat missions, Leleka worked with PETA Germany and its partner Animal Rescue Kharkiv (ARK) to get frightened, starving, and injured animals out of some of the most dangerous areas near the border with Russia, including Avdiivka and Sumy, where she was killed. She was determined to save everyone, even telling the soldiers she served with, “Until I leave food for every animal, we won’t go further.”
“Most of us can’t imagine the danger that Leleka and her fellow rescuers have faced every day while saving terrified animals,” said PETA Director Rachel Bellis during her memorial speech. “Leleka personally coaxed dogs from the rubble of shelled buildings, she gently wrapped cats in blankets to get them to safety, and she delivered hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of food for hungry animals. Leleka was a bright spot in a dark time, and this memorial honors her for her bravery and kindness.”
Supported by PETA’s Global Compassion Fund, PETA Germany and ARK have delivered more than 4 million tons of food and rescued more than 22,000 cats, dogs, horses, and other animals so far—including 8,364 in 2024 alone. Rescuers have pulled animals out of bombed houses on the verge of collapse, braved artillery fire to whisk animals out of danger, delivered millions of pounds of food for dogs, cats, and other animals, and much more. They even have a drone defense system—financed by PETA’s Global Compassion Fund—that signals the presence of incoming armed drones and has enabled them to shoot hostile drones out of the sky and escape being killed. Two of the rescuers’ vans have been destroyed by drones despite this.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
