Russian Heroes Brave Sub-Zero Temperatures to Save Dogs from Certain Death in Siberia

Hundreds of stray dogs are fleeing the Eastern Siberian town of UIan-Ude, near the Mongolian border, because the local government has decided to kill them. The strays’ saviors are Russian dog-lovers – from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, and elsewhere – who make the long trek east and brave sub-zero temperatures to rescue the doomed doggos.

“A lot of good-hearted people have responded,” volunteer Stella Ovsoyan tells BBC Russian. “They ask us to send a dog, any dog, a random one, no matter what it looks like. Their goal is simply to save a soul from death.”

Culling dogs was common in the region for years, but a law enacted in 2020 required a more humane approach to controlling the stray population – namely sterilizing and vaccinating them, then setting them free. Last year Russian MPs rolled back the law to allow individual regions to decide for themselves how to handle strays. 

The Russian republic of Buryatia, home of Ulan-Ude, went back to the old way: euthanizing dogs by lethal injection. Last week a government shelter in Ulan-Ude put down 18 strays, with an estimated 2000 unhoused dogs still at large. “These were not disabled dogs,” says Ovsoyan. “They just needed a week or two to recover, get proper treatment and then they could be safely adopted.” 

Enter the rescue angels from the west, who have so far saved hundreds of dogs from certain death. It costs about 5,000 roubles ($55) to rescue and transport a dog from the region. Volunteers like Ovsoyan are working hard, both to rescue strays and to stave off despair, and they know they cannot save every dog. 

“Sometimes I just want to cry and give up. But then I get a message saying hello from the new owners of a dog we've already sent to live its best life – and that's great.”

Photo credit: BBC Russian