'I Can't Leave Her', Ukrainian Medical Student Promises For Siberian Husky Dog When He Was To Be Evacuated

Illustration of a Siberian Husky dog (Photo by Wout Vanacker on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - There are many stories that touch the heart when thousands of people flocked to leave Ukraine. One of them comes from Arya Aldrin (20 years), an Indian citizen who is a medical student in Ukraine.

"It would be more selfish to leave my dog," replied Arya Aldrin, who was adamant that his Siberian husky should be brought in when he wanted to be evacuated from Ukraine.

He took Zaira - the name of his five-month-old dog - on a long journey across thousands of kilometers to the southern Indian state of Kerala.

There are actually a lot of Indian students who take their cats and dogs out of Ukraine. But Arya made headlines when a photo of her holding Zaira as she was taken by bus to the Romanian border went viral.

"I'm a medical student - we were taught to save lives without discrimination. And leaving him behind won't help anyone," Arya said when asked which priority was to save humans or animals.

Quoted from the BBC, Wednesday, March 9, Arya went to Ukraine in 2020 to study at the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University in Vinnytsya. He quickly made friends - many from his home state of Kerala - and loved living there.

A friend, who knows she loves animals, gifted her a two-month-old puppy in December 2021. Arya names her Zaira.

Arya and Zaira are a pair of best friends. When left alone at home while Arya entered class, Zaira would refuse to eat, waiting eagerly for her master to return.

Arya replies to Zaira's attitude. He often refuses invitations from his friends just so that Zaira is not alone.

When the roar of war started, Arya had promised, "no matter what happens, I can't leave Zaira."

Well-meaning friends and relatives advised him to give the dog to someone for a while, but Arya refused.

"I know no one else will love and pamper her like I do," he said.

Arya and Zaira, along with a friend, left Vinnytsya in a group on February 26, two days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The next day, they took a bus to the Romanian border. Zaira remains silent and clings to Arya, intimidated by voices and strangers.

The bus driver dropped them off about 20 km (12 miles) from the border due to a long queue of vehicles waiting to cross.

They started walking. Arya and his friends have packed juice and biscuits and dog food for Zaira - they can't find bread or water in the store.