Video: A Ukrainian Army Medic’s Plea

For Immediate Release:
July 3, 2023

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

As the U.S. celebrates its freedom, the citizens of Ukraine are fighting for theirs, and amidst the bloodshed, Olexander (last name withheld for his protection), a young man serving as a medical inductee in the Ukrainian army, has issued a powerful plea, showing that even in times of war, when human lives are in danger and death is all around, there is something simple everyone can do at home to reduce needless violence in the world. The video is available here.

“If you’re horrified by atrocities committed against others, there may be nothing you can do to help us here, but there is something you can do in your own life to reduce violence,” he says in the heartfelt appeal. “Please stop supporting slaughterhouses. Decide not to contribute to its horrors. Go vegan. If I can do that here, I know you can do that at home. Please.”

PETA notes that every person who goes vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 animals a year.

PETA Germany’s rescue team—supported by PETA’s Global Compassion Fund—has been working on the front lines throughout the conflict in Ukraine, providing veterinary care; distributing hundreds of tons of food for stranded horses, dogs, and cats; and helping to transport over 1,200 animals out of the war zone and from the recent dam disaster.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and offers a free vegan starter kit on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.