PETA to Unveil Park Memorial for Ukrainian Military Medic Killed Saving Dogs and Humans

For Immediate Release:
July 15, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. –

On Thursday, PETA will dedicate a white rose bush and memorial plaque in the 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. At the unveiling, PETA Director Rachel Bellis will share stories of Dr. Yeryomenko’s vital work with PETA Germany and its partner Animal Rescue Kharkiv (ARK) to get frightened, starving, and injured animals out of the war zone and rush them to safety for veterinary care and, eventually, adoption. A video about Leleka and showing her work rescuing animals is here.

*Dr. Yeryomenko with one of the many dogs she helped evacuate from the war zone. Credit: ARK*

Between her own combat missions, Dr. Yeryomenko accompanied ARK to 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.”

“Olena risked everything she had to help everyone she could, including the dogs she coaxed out of shelled buildings and the cats she gently escorted to safety,” says Bellis. “She was a beacon of compassion, and everyone here at PETA will remember her for her bravery and kindness.”

Supported by PETA’s Global Compassion Fund, PETA Germany and ARK have saved more than 22,000 cats, dogs, horses, and other animals, 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.

Where: PETA’s Bea Arthur Dog Park, 501 Front St., Norfolk

When: Thursday, July 17, 1 p.m.

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.