One burnt cat survived the Russian attack on residential areas in Kyiv on the night of 7 May, while his owners and other fellow cats died.

The Russian strike claimed the lives of a mother and her son with disabilities. The woman was a volunteer who kept 10 cats in her home, some of whom died, while one injured cat was rescued.

The victims, identified as a 64-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son, lived on the top floor of a five-story building. The woman, who would have celebrated her birthday two days after the attack, was caring for her son who had a disability, leaving them unable to reach shelter during the assault, according to local officials and animal rescue volunteers.

Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko confirmed the deaths, specifying that the victims were born in 1960 and 1997.

The Kyiv Animal Rescue Group (KARG) reported that rescuers discovered the bodies of five cats alongside the deceased family members, while one severely injured cat was found outside the building.

“Our rescuers found a living, severely burned cat under the window, likely thrown out by the blast wave,” KARG representatives stated. 

The surviving cat was rushed to veterinary care with extensive burns and serious lung damage, and is currently receiving oxygen therapy in intensive care.

Search operations are ongoing as rescue workers continue looking for the remaining four cats that reportedly lived in the apartment.

Russian forces also targeted Zaporizhzhia on the night of 6-7 May with at least 13 strikes that damaged critical infrastructure. The attack left tens of thousands temporarily without power, destroyed one home, and damaged 18 others, with four people injured.

In Kherson, Russian shelling trapped a survivor under rubble, who was later rescued. Ukrainian officials condemned the attacks as a deliberate mockery of US peace efforts, calling for increased international pressure and sanctions on Russia to halt the ongoing violence.