Cities in Europe, US to hold rallies, marking anniversary of Kakhovka dam explosion  

The rallies will take place in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Lisbon, and San Diego (USA) from June 2 to June 9. You can join the demonstrations and find out more details here.

"We will feel the consequences of Russia's crimes against nature for decades. Russia must be held accountable for them, and the world has no right to forget about it. That is why we urge every Ukrainian and citizen of other countries to come out to the rallies in their city. We also remind that Western countries should confiscate 300 billion of the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank and use them for the defense and reconstruction of Ukraine. In particular, for the restoration of the territories affected by the ecocide," said Oleksandr Todorchuk, founder of UAnimals.

On June 6, 2023, the Russian forces blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, which became the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe over the past decade. 

After the explosion, the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was almost completely submerged, flooding more than 80 settlements in the southern regions, killing people and animals, leaving thousands of people and living creatures homeless. Ukraine lost up to 40% of its fresh water reserves, tonnes of machine oil flew into the Dnipro and Black Sea, 11,000 hectares of forest destroyed, biodiversity lost, and national parks and reserves damaged.

During the full-scale war, UAnimals systematically draws the world's attention to Russian environmental crimes. The organization has launched the #StopEcocideUkreine campaign and coordinated dozens of protests abroad against ecocide. In addition, the UAnimals team appealed to the UN to establish an international tribunal for environmental crimes during the war in Ukraine and joined the meeting of the International Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War.

In addition to public work, UAnimals rescues animals from the war. The organization helps animals with food and medicine, evacuates them from the frontline areas, rebuilds shelters and provides legal advice on animal rights protection.